Lovers to Never?
by Dark Angelic Kitty
Summary: [SEQUAL to Enemies to Couples?] Now that Sasuke and Sakura are officially couples, things don't go the way it should be. When heartbreaking events pass their way, will they keep holding on or give up? [SasuSaku] Au. Language. Also NaruHina ShikaIno NejTen
1. My Happily Never After

**Ah...the long awaited sequel. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Enjoy :)**

**WARNING: This is a sequal. Please read 'Enemies to Couples' before reading this to avoid ANY confusion. Thanks. **

**Watch out for powerful language in some chapters.

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**Chapter One – My Happily Never After**

'Beep'

'Beep'

'Beep'

_Someone...turn off the damn alarm..._

'Beep'

"Sasuke-kun..." Haruno Sakura, freshly nineteen, murmured as she snuggled deeper into her covers.

'Beep'

"Sasuke-kun..." She murmured again, loudly this time while nudging the bundle next to her.

'Beep'

"Ughh...turn it off yourself..." Uchiha Sasuke, who's turning twenty in June, groaned as he lazily draped an arm around his 'teddy bear' and went back to sleep.

'Beep'

"You're closer to it..."

It was true, the little blue alarm clock sat neatly on a drawer beside Sasuke's side of the bed, ringing, as its short arm reached six and the long arm at twelve.

'Beep'

"It's my room..." Sasuke smirked, half asleep.

"Aargh...jerk." Sakura growled the never forgotten nickname and dug herself out of Sasuke's arms and crawled over his still all-amazing muscular body to reach the alarm clock. (He's still an avid basketball player and works out once per week)

'Beep'

Almost...

'Beep'

Almost...

'Beep'

There.

'Silence'

Sakura sighed in relief and enjoyed the peaceful silence as she withdrew her hand and crawled back to her original place only to be intercepted by a sudden playful hug in the middle of the process.

"Good morning." She giggled as she closed her eyes and relaxed in Sasuke's arms.

"Hn...zzzzz"

-Ten minutes later-

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! What time is it?!! Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun!!" Sakura screamed as she threw her covers...well "Sasuke's" bed cover aside.

"It's only six-ten in the morning...go back to sleep." Sasuke yawned and buried his head into his pillow.

"Okay...NO WAIT! I'm going to be late!!! WE'RE going to be late!" she panicked and raced back into her bedroom and into her washroom. "GET THE HELL UP UCHIHA!!" she shouted after in the middle of brushing her teeth and pulling up her socks.

"Yeah yeah mother." He grumbled and got up lazily. They never got a tardy anyway due to his speeding skills. It's illegal mind you.

But it was a little fluffy routine of theirs. Alarm clock rings. They argue on who should close it. Sakura loses. They have a little fight. Go back to sleep. And Sakura wakes up freaking out.

Yup.

Life couldn't get any better.

* * *

"Sakura!! Get your butt down here you slowpoke!!" Sasuke called out impatiently from the front door. She woke up first only to be the last to get ready.

"I'm brushing my hair dumbass!"

"Why brush? It's going to get messy anyway."

"For your information Mr. Know-it-all," Sakura retorted stomping downstairs with her schoolbag and a piece of toast in her mouth. "Girls with messy hair like yours don't exactly look good."

"Really now? It looks good in bed." He smirked playfully.

"UCHIHA!!!" She screamed with a flushed face and chased him all the way to his beloved everyday-polished motorcycle outside.

"Don't say that stuff in front of _them_." Sakura retorted as they arrived to the big entrance of Blaze Institute which held the title of being one of the best universities there is in the country.

And by _them_, she meant the servants in the Uchiha Mansion. Her family was still in the states along with Sasuke's family making enough money to buy Antarctica. Sasuke's father finally got over the marriage issue and now started to open up a bit more around Sakura.

As for both of them, they were now happily and officially fiancés. Sakura was permitted to stay with Sasuke along with her two babies: Yuki, her cat and her Benz.

Upon arriving in the inner sect of the one hundred acres school ground, both of them split off to their respective classes. Sasuke decided to major in global business trade while Sakura as a doctor.

Last but not least, the unforgotten friends of our dear couples. All of our gay little crew got into Blaze Institute except for Katie who decided to study abroad in the states and Lee, who decided to go to another famous school which specializes in martial arts.

Ino majored in arts, Hinata in music, Shikamaru in math, Neji who also majored in global business trade along with Sasuke, and Tenten in sports. All of them were still zealous sports players but only Tenten decided to take on the professional soccer team.

And our blond dobe?

In Business management.

No one was surprised when Naruto got accepted into Blaze Institute. He had worked extremely hard to catch up on his studies that year and managed to shared the number 1 title in academics along with Sasuke, Neji, and Sakura during their senior year. Now that was a miracle.

In class, Sakura seated herself at the far back seat of the vast classroom. No one bothered her nor talked. They were all hardworking students of the prestigious school. Chatting and fooling around was a foolish thing and everyone had been mature enough to control their rebellious tendencies.

However, sometimes those uncontrollable spirits will unleash, but never around her. No one _dared_ to. It seems like wherever an Uchiha goes, dominance will always take place. And that place was Blaze Institute.

Mess with the alpha's girl...and you're going down, down, down until you can't even see hell anymore. Of course, during non-study periods there will still be everlasting fan clubs taken place around campus. Guess which club has the most members?

Yup...'I Love Uchiha Sasuke Club' whose soul purpose is to build a fan club grave for him so they could chase him forever and forever and forever and forever. Whew...

Without a doubt, it sometimes drove Sasuke and Sakura nuts, but they managed to hold on to their sanity somehow with the help of others.

Sakura stared at the clock as she listened to the drone of her professor's voice. _Five minutes till lunch..._she thought with a small smile. She could finally spend some precious time with her man.

_Bringggggggggggggggggggggggggg_

Inner Sakura: Hell yeah! I can get out of this place now!!

Instantly she raced downstairs to the parking lot where she says her daily goodbye to Sasuke who always leave around the afternoon to tend his father's business as a practice for the future. You could say it was his part time job.

Most adults would complain having one morning class per day for a bachelor kid wasn't enough. But for a genius like Sasuke, it wasn't a problem. He practically aced the final exams.

Sakura still had a marketing class which she takes as a minor in the afternoon along with Ino, Tenten, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Naruto. Neji, like Sasuke, was another smartass who only needed one morning class per day.

He then spends the rest of his time working as a fortune teller. (AN: Haha just joking.)

Neji spends the rest of his time working along side with Sasuke in their family trade. Sakura also worked part time in a little clinic. After work, Sasuke would come and pick her up.

"Sasuke-kunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!"

Sakura snapped her mouth shut as some pesky fan girls took her line. She then pouted, at this rate, she could never hang out with Sasuke.

Obsessive people were scary these days. They knew all about Sakura and Sasuke's time schedule as well as little information that they didn't dream of them knowing like how Sakura hated spicy food or having a fear of using tampons; or Sasuke's brand of cologne and shoesize.

"MARRYY MEEEEE"

They continued.

"Help, help, help!! Ahhhhhh...Sasuke-kun there's an ant chasing me!!"

Some EQ these girls have when it comes to love.

"Ditch that evil Haruno! I'm telling you, she's no good!"

"We'll have a special graveyard of fans for you! After we die of course!"

"Get the hell away!" Sasuke growled as he pushed them out of his way. "How many times do I have to tell you? I already HAVE A FUDGING GIRLFRIEND! I DON'T need a fan club graveyard but yes you're right about the dying part. Now leave me alone and DIE!!"

"But, but, but..."

Sasuke looked over the hoard of girls and searched for his secret favourite colour among the crowd.

Pink.

Bingo!

His lips curved upwards into a little smirk as he made his way towards the owner of pink hair who was sitting on the entrance steps waiting for the fan girls to disperse. He couldn't help but think how cute she looked with her head propped up with both of her palms at each cheek.

"Yo." He greeted. "Some chick I know is zoning out. I wonder what she's thinking about."

"Huhh??" Sakura jumped in surprise and looked upwards to find Sasuke. "H-Hey!! What took you so long?"

"The usual." He replied and made an indication towards his fans. "Let's go eat something."

She nodded happily and followed him to a ramen stand nearby.

Inner Sakura: Hell yeah! Alone time with Sasuke-kun AT LAST!!! BOO-YAH!

* * *

**Ramen Stand**

"YOOOOO!!!!!!!!! SAKURA-CHAN AND SASUKE-TEME!"

Sakura hung her head in dismay for a second as she heard the familiar voice behind them. "Hey Naruto and Hinata-chan." She greeted without looking at the people behind because everywhere Naruto goes, there's always bound to be Hinata.

"Forehead girl, I hope you haven't forgotten about us."

"Hello Ino-chan and Shikamaru."

Again, wherever Ino goes, Shikamaru will always be following shortly after.

"Sakura-channnnnn!! What about us?!"

Sakura sweat dropped and almost drop her head into the bowl of hot steaming ramen in front of her. Her alone time was now surely ruined by her still adored friends.

"Hi Tenten-chan and Neji."

When you meet up with Tenten, Neji will be by her side protecting her from sports jocks.

"LET'S EAT!" All of them excluding Sakura, Sasuke, and Neji chorused.

Inner Sakura: So much for having quality time.

It was true; she hadn't spent any time with Sasuke at all during these weeks. Either there was a test or Sasuke had to attend some meetings. Sasuke, who seemed to not have been bothered by these sudden interruptions started having a little contest with each of the boys to see who can eat their ramen the fastest while its still burning hot.

At the end, Naruto, the ramen master won.

Inner Sakura: Boys...

But in the meantime, Sakura ate her ramen slowly and observed her friends carefully; reflecting on how much each and one of them had grown. Her girlfriends were currently gossiping about the latest trends and how a new hottie had just moved into Ino's art class.

Each and one of them had grown in their own ways. Tenten had a healthy strong physically shaped body and two buns still wrapped tightly on her head. Hinata still had that nervous expressions over her face but anyone could tell she was a gentle woman. Ino had grown the most beautifully of all with her fully curved body and vivaciously long blond hair. A real eye-catcher if Shikamaru wasn't around glaring off sex-hungry guys.

Every one of them was beautiful in their own ways, and same goes with the guys. There seems to be a need of working out every week between the guys. Naruto and Shikamaru had developed some biceps and triceps, Neji worked on his legs, while Sasuke focused on his abs. They all had six-packs of course, but Sasuke had the most amazing ones of all. (AN: Drooling now?)

Sighing a little, Sakura joined in with the discussion among the girls and quickly finished her ramen before the next class starts. Each couples separated going to the places they need to go before class.

"I'll buy you an ice-cream." Sasuke suddenly suggested as they headed towards he parking lot alone. Sakura gave him a puzzled face but nodded happily. He never offered something that openly unless she was depressed which she clearly wasn't.

Sasuke bought her; her favourite strawberry and vanilla cone at a nearby convenience store and set out towards the parking lot once again.

She couldn't help but stare curiously at the guy beside her while quietly licking her ice-cream. _When did that jerk become that nice...?_

Smoothing out the hem of her dark green skirt, she waited as Sasuke got ready on his bike.

"Hey before you go, why did you—" she blurted, not being able to control herself but was quickly cut off with a quick kiss.

"Hmm...because I just want to buy you an ice-cream that's all." Sasuke read her mind and placed his helmet on. "I missed hanging out with an annoying girl like you."

"Wha—"

Before she finished, he drove off without a warning, letting her stand there dumbfounded with the 't' hanging on the edge of her mouth.

_Bringgggggggggggggggggggggg!!_

The warning bell rang, signaling all students to return to their classes. Sakura smiled and ran back into the institute with her already finished ice-cream.

_I have such an awesome boyfriend!!!!! _She cheered in her mind. Life had been so perfect ever since they had officially gotten together. It was like some fairytale.

* * *

**Marketing Class**

"Saakkuurraaaa-channnn!!" Ino hissed in the middle the class while frantically waving a hand in front of the pink-haired girl. .

"Don't bother her Ino-chan." Tenten giggled quietly.

"S-She's probably busy thinking a-about her Sasuke-kun." Hinata finished with a smile.

"Ah...the power of love." Naruto added romantically and winked at Hinata, almost making her faint.

"Tch...how troublesome." Shikamaru muttered and twirled his pencil lazily.

_BAM! _

"Yamanaka, Uzumaki, Hyuuga, Shikamaru! Please be quiet during class time." The professor scolded, banging her palm on her desk.

"Yes mam." They sang and went back to their work like preschoolers.

"Suckers..." Sakura snickered quietly and smiled at her friends helplessly.

_BAM!!_

"HARUNO! There will be absolutely no interruptions during class you hear me?!"

"Yes professor." She winced, earning snickers from others in turn.

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This was her life...and it was her happily ever after indeed.

But the question is...will it last?

**TBC

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**Haha...yess...I'm sparing you the explantions, fluffiness and corniness right now since be warned...there won't be that many in future chapts. You can count on characters being OOC tho, so sorry about that. **

**Mann...I just hope this sequal will just be as good as the original one. Thank you all to those who supported that fic!! Whoohooo!! Almost 1700 reviews! –Hugs- **

**Until next time. Ciao for now. **

April 30th, 2007


	2. Marco Polo

**Its summer...I'm bored. I'm finally free from school and tests. It sucks that the side affect of all this is boredom. And when I'm bored, that means I find something to do that keeps me un-bored. Unfortunately for you, I decided to work on my fics to kill time. Plus, Micro Word isn't internet so my mom can't say anything to stop me. Boo-hoo huh:D**

**But anyway...WOW... 62 reviews for one chapt. I feel so loved. THANKS! –Huggles-**

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_One, two, they're coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix._

_Seven, eight, better stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again..._

-A Nightmare on Elm Streat

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**Marco Polo**

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!" Sakura, along with the rest of the female population in the Uchiha Mansion's entertainment room screamed as zombies suddenly popped out on the fifty-inch plasma TV screen.

Actually, the female population only consisted of Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Tenten.

It was Friday, and like any other bachelor custom, it was movie night. Our heroes, the guys, were currently laughing their head off from the reaction given off by each of their girlfriends.

Yup, you're typical fantastic eight.

"I never thought Tenten was capable of screaming that loud." Naruto laughed.

"Shut up blondie." Tenten growled and chucked a pillow at his face.

"Now you just made she-man angry." Neji snickered teasingly.

"C-Cousin...that's mean." Hinata scolded quietly.

"Oh so now I'm a she-man." Tenten crossed her arms haughtily. "What about you Neji-kun? I still remember what happened last time..._very_ he-she."

Neji's curved mouth instantly dropped as he stared at his girl in horror. Sasuke glanced over at his rival shiftily and smiled. "What happened last time?"

"It was horrible...at least for Neji-kun. I was so surprised that he actually did something like that." Tenten said smoothly and played with a loose strand of her mahogany hair.

"What happened??" Sakura asked curiously and gasped slightly as Tenten made a little sign language with her hands. "Oh that!!!"

"WHAT?! You told them?!!!" Neji exclaimed, losing his cool.

Sakura started to giggle and looked over at Ino with her big green eyes.

"Of course Neji-kun! Tenten-chan did what she had to do. It's only right to share her secrets with her best friends." Ino laughed.

"Mwahahaha!! Fear my female awesomeness Neji-kun!!" Tenten cackled evily and pointed her index finger at her current soul mate. "You're lucky that I only told the girls."

"This is so troublesome." Shikamaru yawned and stared at the ceiling. If only Sasuke made artificial clouds, then the whole room wouldn't be so boring.

"So Hyuuga...what happened? Peed in your pants?" Sasuke scoffed randomly.

"Something like that." Tenten interrupted and hummed an unknown tune. Instantly all the guys snapped their head towards Neji and unleashed their gaping jaws. "Oops... I'm sorry...it just slipped off my mouth."

"I DID NOT PEE IN MY PANTS!" Neji shouted.

"DID TOO!"

"DID NOT!"

"What? You're saying you got periods now?!" Tenten snickered.

"Hyuuga...we had no idea..." Sasuke smirked.

"You got a penis removal?" Naruto laughed. "Did it hurt? Did it hurt?"

"Shut the hell up! I did not _pee_ in my pants! Coffee spilt! And it just so happened that she-man caught me when I did." Neji explained quickly.

"Lame excuse!" Tenten sang and the girls nodded.

"We heard that you were watching The Ring when you accidentally _spilled_ coffee on your pants." Sakura reasoned and smiled darkly.

Sasuke patted Sakura's head proudly for dissing his rival and smirked. "Is that true Hyuuga?! I always thought you were a big strong man that can handle anything. Especially a kiddy film like The Ring."

"You're this close to being killed." Neji growled threatening.

"Wow, the timing sure is perfect..." Naruto mused. "I mean...The Ring is a horror film after all...and spilling coffee onto his pants...man...what a coincidence."

Tenten grinned toothily and flashed a peace sign at Neji. "That's what you get for calling me a she-man!"

"No one messes with Bunhead-chan!" Ino cheered.

"Heyy!!"

"Just you wait Tenten...I'll get you...nice and sweet." Neji smirked coolly and regained his usual calmness making Tenten slightly shudder.

And all was suddenly silent.

"..."

"So...is it true that you peed in your pants?"

"N-Naruto-kun..."

"...DIE YOU STUPID FOX!!"

"Tch...so troublesome..."

As to whether or not Hyuuga Neji peed in his pants, it's up to the dear reader to decide for the writer herself is still pondering on that peculiar mystery.

* * *

The Next Day – Bright and Glorious Saturday

"Sasuuuuuuuukeeeee." Sakura called banging on a stainless pot.

_Bang Bang Bang_

_Woof Woof Woof_

"Wake."

_Bang Bang Bang_

_Woof Woof Woof_

"Up."

_Bang Bang B-_

_Hissssss_

"Ahhhhh I'm up, I'm up!!" Sasuke growled and threw his pillow at the noisy girl beside him. Yuki, who was sleeping beside him, was now fanatically trying to scratch Shadow for waking her up. It's a mystery how Shadow ended up being Sasuke's pet and Yuki being Sakura's when it should be the other way around.

"Since when do you wake up so early?" He grumbled, stretching his limbs.

"Since now. And it's your entire fault. I couldn't sleep for the whole night after watching that damn movie!!" Sakura pouted. "Anyway, Milly needed someone to go grocery shopping today since all seven of the fridges are out of food. I don't think either of us have any plans so I said I'll help."

* * *

**Note:** In case if all of you have forgotten from ETC, Milly is the main cook in the Uchiha household. See chapter eight in ETC for more details and infos on other servants.

* * *

"Why do I have to tag along?" Sasuke complained and slipped on a black t-shirt which he got from the closet.

"Because..." Sakura explained, impatiently tapping her foot. "You expect me to carry all the food that's needed to feed all twenty-eight of your servants for the whole month?!"

Inner Sakura: On a side note, we'll finally be able to spend some time together! Hell yeah!

"Well...you're abnormally strong for a girl..." He smirked.

"Hurry up and get dressed jerk!! We're going in ten minutes." Sakura huffed and stomped out the door.

Inner Sakura: Yay! Free time with that hotass.

When everything was set, each of them decided to drive a car since a month of food enough to feed thirty people including themselves aren't going to fit in one car.

Upon arrival with Sasuke in the lead (much to Sakura's dismay), they parked their cars and glossed over Milly's list of groceries in awe.

"Three bags of tomatoes...five bags of potatoes...six bags of flour...three watermelon...fifty apples..." Sakura read the first few things out of the one hundred or so items listed.

"The list goes on and on..." Sasuke commented in annoyance. "Good job Sakura. Now we have to spend the rest of the day searching for food."

"Hey, I didn't know we have to buy this much! I merely thought of cutting the servants some slack." She reasoned.

"We'll you could've read the list first before we came. Two cars aren't enough for all these stuff."

"How the heck did they manage to grocery shop before?"

"Beats me."

"Well let's split the list in half and meet up in an hour."

"This is so annoying. I'm a guy. Guy's don't grocery shop. I said this before."

"Don't be a pussy Uchiha. Lot's of guys go shopping."

"Not me."

"Coldass jerk. If I finish before you...you have to wash my car."

Sakura grinned widely and darted off to get a push-cart before Sasuke can say anything.

"Girls..." He scowled and ran off to get a cart of his own. First thing on his list: Ten sacks of rice.

* * *

"Let's see...twelve boxes of sugar...what the heck is Milly going to make with this much sugar?" Sakura mused and strolled down aisle number four. She already finished getting half of the things on her list and her cart is already almost full.

Walking to the end of the aisle, she stopped and scratched her head. She was sure the sugar was in this aisle. Leaving her cart momentarily, she ran back browsing through the goodies the store has to offer once again when...

_BAM _

"Owww..." Both victims cried in unison.

"I-I'm sorry." Sakura apologized while rubbing her bottom.

"It's alright." The young man in his early twenties replied and smiled. He had dark hair and dark eyes, very much like Sasuke's. But on the contrary, his hair wasn't as messy and a little bit flat. Very good looking though.

"That's good." She sighed in relief and watched as the man nodded politely and slowly walked away. Still a little bit dazed from the fall, she continued searching for sugar.

"Ahhh... I give up!" She exclaimed in exasperation and glared at the box of baking soda on the rack. If only it was sugar. At this rate, she can never get Sasuke to wash her beloved car.

Inner Sakura: Why don't you just ask someone who works here idiot?

"Oh right...ehehehehe..." Sakura chuckled to herself and looked around. Just her luck, a sandy red-headed salesperson passed by. "Excuse me Mr.! Do you know where I can find some sugar?"

The young salesperson stopped and turned nodded. "Sorry, everyone is having problems with finding the sugar. It's right over here." He directed as he led her to the middle of the aisle.

"Yay, thanks!" Quickly grabbing twelve boxes she dumped them all into the cart and raced to her next destination, leaving the red-head in amazement.

_That's a lot of sugar..._ he thought.

"Damnit..." Sasuke cussed. Two hours have passed and he was only two-thirds done. Carefully balancing his over loaded cart, he fastened his pace to finish the stupid mission.

_Ringgggg_

"What the fuck!!" He jumped slightly in surprise. Cursing in annoyance, he quickly pulled out his cell. "Yeah?"

"Sasukeeeeeeeeeeeeee-kunnnnnnnn...wahhh..."

"Oh...it's you."

"I can't my last item." –cries-

"Damn...you're that far already?"

"I'm always going to be farther than you, mwahahaha."

"You're annoying."

"Hahaha...wait...yay!! That means your still searching for stuff! Go me!"

"Yeah well, don't count on being too happy for too long. I'm almost finished."

"Kiss. My. Lovely. A—OWWWWWW."

Sasuke pulled away from his cell phone as a series of clashes and bangs exploded in his ear. "Sakura? Yo? Sakura, you there?"

No reply.

Without thinking, he deserted his cart and sprinted down the aisles.

* * *

"Watch it."

Sakura straightened her back and shot up. Being as hot headed as she, she had to talk back. "Speak for yourself!"

Inner Sakura: DIEE

"Who are you telling to speak...my...if it isn't Haruno Sakura."

"Huh?" Sakura took a closer look at her current opponent and realized it was Hitomi, the chick who created the biggest Sasuke fanclub with Ino before Ino and she became best friends.

Restraining herself from whistling, she had to say Hitomi had turned drop dead gorgeous, not to mention...whore-ish. "How's Sasuke?" she asked casually.

"Fine."

"Don't worry _dear..._ I'm not after your dear Sasuke-kun anymore. Thank god I'm passed that stage. I already got myself a boyfriend." Hitomi snickered and flicked her lustrous black hair.

"Hitomi?"

Both Sakura and Hitomi turned around to find Sasuke who was slightly panting and sweating. "Speak of the devil. If it isn't Sasuke himself. We we're just talking about you."

"You were?" Sasuke flashed both of them a raised eyebrow and walked over to Sakura's side.

"Yup. You're sweet little girlfriend wasn't paying attention and accidentally bumped into me. I then asked how you were and I guess she got a little over protective." She said sweetly.

"What?!" Sakura said coldly and clenched her fist.

Inner Sakura: Liar, liar, pants on fire!! Go home fag.

"What do you want Hitomi?" Sasuke asked in annoyance and sighed. Obviously knowing she was only playing around.

"Nothing." She sang in reply, preparing to leave. "See you both around. I forgive you for not saying sorry Haruno. Mwah."

"That...stupid...brat..." Sakura growled, shooting darts at Hitomi's disappearing back.

"Don't mind her. She's just trying to screw you up." Sasuke answered and examined Sakura to see if there's any injury. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just fell on my side. No bruises." She smiled.

He nodded and smirked. "Come on hothead. Let's get this crap over with."

After slaving for hours after trying to find five jars of pickle, they finally completed the almost impossible task. Since both of them parked at different spots, they both went to Sakura's car first to unload and stuff as many things as they could into the Mercedes.

"I am...never...doing this again..." Sakura panted and wiped off the sweat on her forward as they finished stuffing all the things that's left in Sasuke's car.

"I'm glad you learned your lesson." He replied sarcastically and cracked his back. Who would've thought grocery shopping would be as tiring as playing basketball.

"Harhar Uchiha. Very funny. You're washing my car when we get back. You lost hehe." She grinned.

"I never said I would wash your car if I lost." He retorted. "Why don't you make me?"

"You really want me to?" Sakura challenged.

"Hellll yeah." He smirked, taking her favourite line.

Sakura smirked back, grabbed Sasuke's shirt, and pulled him towards her until their nose almost touched. "Don't regret making me make you when we get back."

Letting go before both of them lost control, she laughed slightly and left to drive her car back home.

"Hn...annoying."

* * *

"Marco."

He smiled and watched as he waited. He didn't have to wait for a long time before a girl with pink hair walked past him and went into her car.

He was almost there. He finally found his target.

"Polo."

**TBC**

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**Yesh Yesh Yesh. Chappy two. More action later. Sorry for the excess dialogue. Personally I hate excess dialogues, so I don't mind if you say this chapter is a bit boring. Until next time. **

**You're reviews made me laugh. Really. Go you:)**

**Ciao for now. **

June 24th, 2007


	3. Seventh Sense

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_Get your coat. Get your shoes._

_Don't you know? They're coming for you._

_Run, run, there's much to fear!_

_Oops too late...they're already here._

* * *

**Seventh Sense**

-

Flash!

-

"Sasuke-kun, let's go window shopping!!"

"Why the hell do you want to go shop for windows?"

"Silly, window shopping means shopping without actually buying. Ha, so technically it's not shopping!"

_Tehehe, he's so cute when he's clueless..._

"I'm not going."

_Damn you!_

"But you promised! And I won't go and look at the clothes!"

"It's raining in case you haven't forgotten."

_Never fear! Haruno Sakura always has a plan!_

"I have an umbrella! It will be fun! Please?"

"Hn..."

-

Flash!

-

"M-My n-name is Konohamaru, I want to go down to my mommy!" A little boy wailed, crying on a tree.

_Shit, he's stuck! What should I do?_

"Sh...sh...don't cry. I'll take you to your mommy; now slowly hold out your hand so I could reach you."

"I-I'm afraid! I can't go m-much further...I wanna go back to mommy!"

_What to do? What to do? I have to help the boy! His mother is so worried! Why is it raining so hard all of the sudden? I can't go back out and climb up the tree...its too slippery...maybe I should just climb out the win-_

"Sakura, what the hell happened?"

"It's the little boy! He's stuck on the tree! We have to help him get down!"

-

Crack!

-

"Sakura, the boy! Get the boy!"

"S-Sasuke! The tree...i-it's about to bre-"

"Just get the boy Sakura!!"

Her quivering hands reached out, but it was just enough to grab the little boy.

-

Crack!

-

"Sasuke-bastard! Wake up!! Damnit...I said WAKE UP!"

"It's no use Naruto...he's in a coma..."

-

Flash!

-

"Sasuke! Guy's, guy's! He finally woke up!!"

"What time is it?"

"It's ten in the morning Sasuke."

"Why is it so dark?"

"Huh?"

"Why is it so dark? And who the hell are you?"

"W-What?"

"...Haruno, he's bl-"

"NO! He can still see!! See, his pupils are still moving!"

"No Haruno, he can't...and that's not all."

"What's not all Neji? I think you should stop joking around because this isn't funny."

"He's suffering from am—"

-

Flash!

-

"Sakura! Yo, wake up!"

"H-Huh??"

Her eyes slowly pealed open and the first thing she saw was Sasuke hovering over her. A really nice morning view she had to say, but if only her aching head hadn't ruined the moment and all.

"That was probably the worst nightmare you had in a while." Sasuke told her thoughtfully. He was almost on the verge of pouring cold water over her.

"Nightmare?"

"Mhm...not to mention, you were talking in some alien language in your sleep. Kept me up for the whole night you know that?" He smirked.

Flash!

"What the hell was that?" She gasped. It was the exact same thing she saw in her dream. What was her dream anyway? All she remembered was, something awfully terrible had happened and that it was really wet.

"Since when did you become afraid of the lightning?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Lightning?" Sakura echoed and looked out the window. Indeed, piercing golden rays shot through the gray solemn sky with mad crackling sounds following after. She then looked at the ticking clock, it was five in the morning; an hour before the time they were suppose to wake up.

Yuki and Shadow were curled up in a tight ball in their classy pet pens; the bad weather must've affected them too.

"What happened in your dream? You had this really frightened expression on your face and you wouldn't let go of my shirt." He asked.

"I dreamed about...hmmm...I dreamed about...uhhh...I-I don't remember." She sighed hopelessly. Maybe if she sat up, she could remember better. After a few minutes of sitting up, she found out that didn't work either. Sasuke sat up with her too and stared at her curiously.

"Well, I do remember that it was a rainy day and the lightning was very big at the time. I think it was one of the rainiest days I had ever seen." Sakura started to recall, pulling her blue coverlet up. The more she thought about it, the more chills she got.

"Was there a little boy involved?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"I think...no...wait...argh...I don't remember!" She cried angrily and ruffled her pink cherry hair in frustration. She had always been able to remember her dreams, but why can't she now?

"Hn...well it doesn't matter. It's just a dream." The raven-haired teen said dismissively and sank lower into his bed until his head was at the same level with Sakura's neck.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Don't worry about it," He yawned, tucking his head smoothly into the comfortable nook between his girl's shoulder and ears. "I'm sure a big-mouthed girl like you who can eat three pieces of steak during lunch can handle a little dream."

"Shut up!" Sakura almost screamed and turned red from embarrassment because: one, she was being laughed at and another, Sasuke had started toying with her again. But alas, she couldn't help but relax under his touch and a smile small appeared on her lips as she saw he was already fast asleep.

With his jet black hair tickling the sensitive skin on her neck and the warmth of his body radiating under the blanket, she couldn't feel more at home. They all say the youngest son of the Uchiha family has always been rebellious and distant unlike his exceedingly talented brother, but to her, he was the most caring guy she had ever met.

Sure, Uchiha Sasuke always had an icy demeanor but his heart was flaming hot. Well...His looks are also flaming hot but anyways...Gossip magazines were always having polls about how long their relationship would last while others would always criticize and write how Sasuke is just playing with her for fun on newspaper and every other possible kind of media.

But she and her friends knew those useless media are only writing it for money, enticing every fan girls _or_ fan boys to buy their product so they could keep updated on their current relationship status and other whatnots.

One of the press's favourite techniques was to raise their readers' hopes up by making false stories about she and Sasuke having a nasty fights and giving the readers tips about dating. Some stores were entitled things such as 'The Biggest Breakup on Earth?' or 'Haruno slaps Uchiha! What's next? Breakup?' or 'Truth Unleashed? Uchiha says bye-bye to Haruno!' It was so ridiculous that Sakura and her friends would spend hours and hours laughing non-stop about some farfetched tales.

At any rate, those stupid fan people just don't get that the media is only out to get their money and have been lured into a whirlpool of gossips. They seem to have forgotten that gossips aren't always true.

Of course at times, the gossip about Sasuke and her quarrels were true, but the fight wasn't as big as the press said it was. They would always make-up nicely and would never ever breakup over some stupid issues. The stuff about Sasuke tossing her around like a toy was all obviously false.

She had seen Sasuke and all his tiny affectionate actions. They may be small, but it was enough to tell her that he wanted their relationship to work as much as she did. The way he would always race to her whenever she got hurt; even when it was the tiniest scratch or pat her head fondly (a habit which he had developed over the years) or the simple action he was doing now; resting his head lightly on her shoulders.

She wouldn't question his heart for the world.

'Beep'

'Beep'

'Beep'

Wiggling herself out of her covers, she leaned over and turned off the alarm clock which ran sharply at six AM as always. For some reason, for a sleeper like her, she could bring herself to sleep. Not even doze. Her mind kept on spinning after the nightmare.

"Sasuke-kun, wake up." She called gently, pushing his shoulders.

"An hour already?" he whined like a child.

"Yup, now get your ass off and take me to school!"

"You're going to be the last downstairs anyway, so you get ready first. I'll wake up later..." Sasuke trailed back to sleep.

Flash!

The lightning came down so unexpectedly that it made Sakura flinch again. Her light pink brows furrowed, she was never afraid of thunder or lightning before...

"Sasuke-kun..." she called repeatedly, shaking his shoulders more violently now. She did not like today at all.

"Alright, alright, I'm up. What's up with you today?" He grumbled, rising up from his bed.

"I don't know...I don't like today. I think something bad is going to happen." She whispered.

Sasuke sighed and slung an arm around her. Her voice sounded troubled and it's obviously had something to do with her dream. Damn nightmares..."Look, nothing bad is going to happen today. I'll bet it on my life ok? So stop worrying and go get dressed. I'll see you downstairs in ten minutes...that is...if you can even make it on time."

Sakura pouted but felt more at ease once more seeing Sasuke's trademark smirk. "Ok."

Twenty-minutes later...

"Haruno???? You done yet?!!" Sasuke yelled impatiently. At least the 'being late while getting ready' part was still normal. However, it was still annoying.

"Yeah, coming Uchiha." She rolled her eyes and ran downstairs.

"Hmph, let's go."

Flash!

"Err..." Sakura bit her lips. The lightning looked scarier than she had imagined when she's outside the front door. "Maybe we shouldn't go to..um...school today..."

"As if." Sasuke retorted and pulled her into his car. It was raining, so the motorcycle was out of the picture.

"B-But, something bad is going to happen. I can _feel_ it!" she complained.

"The only thing bad that's going to happen is probably me getting bombarded by stupid fan girl clones." He said coolly.

"Well something is going to happen...I know it."

"Stubborn girl..."

* * *

**Blaze Institute**

"Morning Sakura-chan and Sasuke!" Ino greeted on her way to the art room.

"What's that you're holding?" Sakura asked curiously, looking at the bundle of flamboyant clothes she was holding.

"Oh, I'm making a new dress. And I was thinking, maybe you can be my next tester!" The blond said brightly. Being a fashion designer was her dream, and every now and then, Ino would make clothes for Sakura, Hinata, and Ten-Ten for the fun of it. One day, they would thank her for extraordinary creation once she becomes famous, she joked. She was already famous from just being damn rich, but she wanted to be at the top in the fashion realm.

"Well anyways, I'm a little bit behind schedule. See you in marketing!" Ino bid, and left.

"Bye, Ino-chan." Sakura waved back.

"I should get going now too. The bell is about to ring." Sasuke said, looking at his watch.

"Ohh..." she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Sakura, I said nothing is going to happen right? I'll treat you to ice cream later." He assured and left, leaving her alone to trudge into her classroom.

"Blah, blah, blah, blah..." Her professor buzzed on and on. Sakura was so bored that she almost fell asleep. She had already learned all of what her professor was currently teaching a month ago. The class was seriously behind.

"ACK!" she suddenly jumped as her cell phone vibrated unexpected against her pocket.

"Miss Haruno, I see that you're eager to answer my questions. What is the formula for population growth with limits?" Her professor asked coldly earning Sakura a few giggles throughout the class.

"Uhhh…the formula would be 'dN' over 'dt' equals r(maxN) open brackets 'k' minus 'N' over 'K' end brackets, professor." She answered with a nervous smile. Who knew you had to know a little bit of damn calculus when you're in the life science field. Aside from history, she hated math to the core. The subject so did not run in the family.

Inner Sakura: I guess you break the record of being the first Asian who sucks at math.

_You got that right..._

"Hmph...the answer is...correct." Her professor answered grimly and repositioned her glasses so she could stare dubiously at her pink-haired student. She would get Haruno in trouble someday for not paying attention...if only and only, she would just answer one of her questions wrong!

Inner Sakura: You want a piece of me bitchy professor??

Sensing a murderous aura from Sakura's inner self, the professor rubbed her nose and continued on with her lesson. How she wished for a transfer to a _normal_ school where she can reprimand average students anytime she wants. But no, the school board just had to transfer her to Blaze where there's full of snobby rich wenches that could have their ignorant parents fire her in an instant.

Sakura sighed after awhile as the class went back to being silent. She then slowly slipped out her pink cell phone from her pockets and checked to see which stupid idiot called her. But instead of a flashing missed call sign, her cell told her she got a text message from none other than Sasuke.

'paying attention in class?' Was all it said.

Inner Sakura: Cheh...that stupid jerk...thinks he knows me so well...

_Well...he does..._

Inner Sakura: Shut up...stupid phsyco...mind reading...seductive...stupid...jerk...

'u stupid dimwit,' she typed, 'u almost got me in trouble!'

'ah, so ur not paying attention.' He replied a few minutes later making a vein pop out of Sakura's not-so-large forehead.

'like u r!

'well i learned most of these stuff ages ago, so i dun c y i hafta pay attention.'

'so have i!'

'aha...like hell.'

'don't make me mad uchiha...ANYWZ...i'm bored.'

'i kno y...its cuz i'm not there.'

A smile twitched at the end of her mouth.

'in ur fudging dreams homie'

"MISS HARUNO! Might I ask what you're doing this time?" Her professor interrupted loudly.

"I-I'm just t-turning of my cell phone, you see...I accidentally set my alarm clock to eleven-thirty AM because I thought today was Sunday." She lied.

"Get going then Haruno, before I take that cell phone away and turn it off permanently."

Inner Sakura: Yes bitch...

For the rest of the class time, she didn't dare to text any more messages. Sasuke would so get it once the bell rings.

_Bringggggggggggggggggg_

_Oh happy day, I can kick some Uchiha butt now..._she thought, clapping her hands.

* * *

Sasuke stretched for minute as the long-awaited bell finally rang. He wondered for a few moments why Sakura hadn't replied to his latest text message but smirked at the thought of maybe Sakura got into trouble again. Apparently, the prankster side of him never really died away. 

"H-Hey Sasuke-kun!!!!" A girly voice entered his ears making him jump.

_What the hell...I'm still in class!_

He never had fan girls disturb him while he was in the global business trade classroom before. Only outside the plaza. Maybe this was the bad thing Sakura sensed; that fan girls will start to disturb him in his classroom now. What a holy ability.

"Go away." He ordered.

"Oh come on Sasuke-kun, I'm not like those fan girls!" A girl with a high ponytail said brightly.

"You look like one of those clone freaks to me."

"Well ok, I'm a fan of yours but at least I acknowledge the fact that you have a girlfriend/fiancé."

"What's your name?"

"Kana Akihase." She introduced.

"Ok Kana, you are different from those clone freaks but you're still a fudging fan girl. So I suggest you get as far away from me as possible, I'm busy right now." Sasuke said in annoyance.

"Awww...well you don't look busy to me Sasuke-kun." Kana smiled humorously. "Can't you just take me as your second girlfriend?"

"Huh?"

"You know, like a backup. I won't mind."

"...You're weird." He raised an eyebrow at the crazy girl and walked out the classroom only to have Kana following right behind. "And no, I don't want a second girlfriend, Kane."

"It's Kan_a_!"

"Whatever."

"Sasuke-kun!!!" The usual fan girls shrieked as he arrived at the great ornate hall of Blaze Institute like every other day.

"Go away Kana, you're just like those slobbering clone freaks behind me." Sasuke didn't know why he was still bothering with the young girl that was still sticking close to him like glue. The foolish girl herself just didn't know how badly Sasuke wanted her to go away. His icy words seem to have gloated through her effortlessly and left her unaffected.

"Stop being so stubborn Sasuke-kun, would it hurt to take another as your girl? It's pretty common for a man to take two women as his wife. There's nothing to be ashamed of you know. Think about all the kings and their concubines long ago. Wouldn't it be nice to be served by more than one woman? Isn't that what all men want?"

She was definitely out of her mind. And so was the throng of girls behind her cheering for her like she was some kind of hero.

"Look!" Sasuke gritted, grabbing a hold of a clueless Sakura who was walking down the great hall, quite unaware of what's going on. "This," he pointed at the 'teddy bear' in his arms. "Is _why_ I don't need another girlfriend! Get that through your thick skulls! I'm sick and tired of you insane people running after me like I'm some prize. So go back to your fuckin' homes and stay away from me! If I see another girl hallelujah-ing over me again, I'll send the whole Uchiha police unit after you and get your damn butts expelled from the school!"

Thus, it was the day when a new and improved Sasuke fan club was established. The Ultimate Uchiha Sasuke Stalking Club! Abbreviated U.U.S.S.C. or...just plain U.S.C for short whose sole purpose was to stalk Sasuke until he dies and continue to stalk him when he goes to heaven (or hell) without being caught by the deathly specially trained Uchiha polices! So come and join today! We are giving free cookies away. :)

Anyways...

"Let's go Sakura." Sasuke directed and walked out the building.

"O-Ok." She didn't really have much of a choice does she? For she was still being carried around in Sasuke's arm like some stuffed animal. "Do we have to go out in the rain and thunder?" She asked like a little kid.

"Do you want to eat lunch at the disgusting cafeteria?"

"Well ehehehe...I'm not that hungry."

"Suck it up will you? The worst has already passed. And there's nothing worse than fan clubs."

"Nothing you say will change my-"

Flash!

"Eeh!"

Sasuke groaned and set Sakura down who was quiet all of the sudden. "I guess I'm not that hungry either, let's go somewhere quiet."

They found a place to sit at a deserted hall (Blaze Institute was a very large place) and made themselves comfy on a wooden bench facing a big church-like window.

"You know, I just remembered what I dreamed about." She said silently.

"Hn?"

"In my dream, it was a rainy day very much like today. And the lightning and thunder was really big. But somehow, I insisted that we go window shopping and managed to convince you to come. But in the middle of it all, I heard a little boy crying for help, it turned out he was stuck on a tree. His mother and the rest of the people were down there looking for help."

"..."

"And well, I couldn't wait that long for the ambulance," She continued. "So I went up to this building and tried climbing out the window, but then _you_ appeared right behind me and went out the window instead."

Sasuke flashed her a confused expression and furrowed his dark brows. "Go on..."

"Um, you climbed out right? And it started raining really hard. Like _really_ hard. It went by so fast and suddenly I had the boy in my arms and you fell down the tree. You suffered from a coma for a few weeks and when you finally woke up, you couldn't see...but most of all; you didn't know w-who I was." She ended sadly.

Sasuke breathed deeply and ran a hand through his spiky hair; Sakura never did remember anything that happened on _that _day of the accident or during the times of when she suffered the amnesia. He and the rest of the Uchiha and Haruno family didn't want to be reminded of those times, so they never said anything about it.

"Sasuke-kun, well?"

"Uhh...well, I don't know how to say this Sakura...but, I think you should know that...the nightmare you had...err...was actually...real."

"REAL? S-So that means, you suffered from blind-ness and a-amnesia?! How come I didn-"

"No." He shook his head. "You got it all wrong. The events in the nightmare were real, but I wasn't the one that was injured. It was you."

"Me?! B-But I don't remember-"

"You don't, and we never bothered to tell you. We as in Naruto, Ino, Neji, mother, old man, your parents, everyone." Sasuke explained seeing a really confused face on Sakura. "Around two years ago, you wanted to go window shopping on a rainy day. We were at this café when I was attacked yet again by those idiotic fan girls, and you ran off. I searched everywhere for you and finally found you on top of the tree trying to save that little boy...after that, you know what happened. It went exactly like your nightmare."

"You're saying that I fell off the tree and went into coma. After, I was half-blinded and suffered from amnesia?" Sakura pieced the puzzle together bewilderedly. "T-That's impossible! I can see everything perfectly!"

"Luckily, your eye injury wasn't that fatal and Tsunade managed to heal your eyesight back. As for your amnesia, you managed to gain your memories back by what we call déjà vu." Sasuke explained again, telling her how she accidentally fell at the edge of the building and landed in their high school's swimming pool.

"Ohh..."

"..Are you mad that I didn't tell you?..." He asked gently after a few quiet moment.

"N-No! Why would I be Sasuke-kun?" She smiled and hugged him, catching him by surprise. "I'm just a little shocked that's all and if you must know, I feel loads better now. I'm so glad it wasn't you that got hurt at the time. And it was clearly my fault for insisting to go window shopping on a rainy day."

"I-It's not your fault, nobody knew..." He answered, slowly returning her hug.

"Jeez! Get a room!!"

Instantly, Sasuke and Sakura tore apart and jumped around to see Naruto and the gang giggling behind them.

"I-Ino? Hinata? Tenten?!" Sakura gaped at her girlfriends. "You were spying on us?!!"

"Yup! Friendship rule number one: friends are allowed to spy on your friends to get all the juicy details!" Tenten grinned toothily. "You didn't come and have lunch with us at the ramen stand so we were searching everywhere for you."

"Ahhh!! Traitors!!!" Sakura yelled angrily and began chasing all three of them.

"But its in the friendship rule book!" They sang.

"What rule book?! I don't know any rule book?!"

"So Sasuke-chan." Naruto teased. "How was the hug?"

"Did we interrupt a kiss that was to follow after?" Neji snickered.

"Chehh...why are the clouds so troublesomely gray?" Shikamaru commented.

"Shut up assholes." Sasuke replied coldly and crossed his arms.

"Awww! Don't be like that Sasuke-chan. We know you love us." The blond laughed and gave Sasuke a big hug.

"Ew!!! Two gays on the loose!" Ino shouted jokingly, in amidst of dodging a flying bench that was aimed towards her pretty head.

"I-Ino-chan!" Hinata scolded angrily.

"Tehee...sorry Hinata-chan. Naruto is not gay." She winked.

_Bringggggggggggggggggg_

They all paused to listen to the warning bell. Five minutes before class starts.

"Come on Forehead-chan," Ino called, first to break the silence. "We don't want to be late now."

"Y-Yeah." She nodded, looking back at Sasuke.

"I'll come and take you to the clinic." He told her and patted her head out of habit before racing off with Neji to see who can sprint the fastest. Boys will always be boys.

Marketing class went by faster than Sakura thought; it seems Sasuke really did make her feel better. Saying goodbye to her friends for the day, she waited patiently for Sasuke to come and pick her up for work. She didn't have to wait long to see a jet black Porsche (another one of Sasuke's beloved mechanic-babies) coming up the school yard.

Getting into the car as quickly as she can to avoid getting wet, she fastened her seatbelt and noticed Sasuke dressed in a very formal suit with an orange popsicle in his mouth. He almost looked liked a very hot chauffer, but never mind that...back to the popsicle.

Inner Sakura: Who cares about the popsicle? Whaa, I'm melting from hotness.

_Go away, the popsicle is more important...it might even cool that 'hotness' of yours..._

"And where is mine?" she asked with an arched eyebrow remembering how he promised he would get her a frosty treat that morning.

Sasuke grinned mischievously yet silently and pointed at the frozen dessert in his mouth.

"You ate mine?!" She exclaimed, sounding offended.

"Not exactly...only one-third of it." He answered pulling the popsicle out of his mouth. "Tastes pretty good."

"Give me that!"

"Magic word."

"Over my dead body Uchiha. I won't hold back now! I don't care if you're driving or not!" she warned.

"Heh, red light." He informed, indicating he can protect himself now. "If you come any closer, I'll finish the whole thing."

"Sadistic jerk..." she pouted and retreated. "Why don't you just let me win for once?!"

"I dunno." He shrugged, stopping in front Sakura's workplace this time. It wasn't far from Blaze.

"Magic word?"

"Just eat the whole damn thing."

"Ok." Sasuke placed the orange popsicle back into his mouth and began eating it slowly. So slow that it almost made Sakura drool.

"Ok, ok stop. You win. Please?" she surrendered.

"Hn fine...and I thought I can enjoy finishing it this time." He smirked handing over the now half-finished popsicle.

"Hmph, all that for half a popsicle."

"Nahh, here's the rest." Sasuke grinned and pressed his mouth against hers casually, poking his cooled tongue inside in the process. He was definitely giving her the other half of the popsicle.

Sakura felt her eyes close as a sweet wave of wild orange got flushed into her craving mouth. Their tongues gently toyed each other hungrily much like what their hands were doing, slowing entwining themselves together. If only the car handle wasn't in the way.

It wasn't until a drop of orange landed on Sakura's hands when she forced herself to pull away from Sasuke. She glanced at him sheepishly as she noticed Sasuke's suit had turned from smooth to quite wrinkled. Sticking the melting treat inside her mouth, she smoothed out his suit and adjusted his tie.

"Where are you going later?" she asked curiously.

"To this meeting. Old man wanted me to get this electrical company manager to sign this alliance contract." He explained with the uttermost disinterest. "I'll most likely be finished before you finish your job, so I'll come and pick you up."

"Alright, I'll get going then." She bid, getting out of the car. "Good luck with the contract thingy, bye!"

"Yo Sakura." He called, stopping her tracks.

"Hm?"

He hurriedly pulled her back into her seat and licked the left side of her cheek making her go instantly red. "Eh?"

"Popsicle." He grinned before pushing her out of the car and drove away.

"Jerk." She couldn't help but smile.

"Sakura? Is that you?" She heard Tsunade's voice calling her. Tsunade-senpai had transferred to her clinic not long ago as the head doctor since she found that it was too hectic simultaneously being a volleyball coach at Fiery Leaf High as well as being the head doctor in the city's largest hospital.

"Y-Yeah coming!!"

"Get your butt over here and treat this patient!! What's that in your mouth? Eating a popsicle in weather like this?! And you call yourself a doctor?! Teens these days. Get going now!"

"Y-Yes Tsunade-sama!"

* * *

"Hinata-chann!" Naruto whined, rolling around his girlfriend's bed. "I'm bored." 

"I-I'm bored too." Hinata replied, turning a string on her violin.

They were so bored that they had already finished playing every possible game on earth. Cards, video games, computer, etc.

"Wahh...what to do? What to do? Why oh why is Friday so far away?" The blond complained. He loved movie nights with all his friends around.

"Time's slow I g-guess." She answered. "W-Why don't we tell other people to come here?"

"Ooo!! That's a great idea; you're so smart Hinata-chan!" Naruto beamed making her blush timidly. "Let's see who's free on a Monday night...dude...I hate Mondays... hmmm...Neji is downstairs busying over some papers...well, we can't really invite him since he's already here...Tenten is at a soccer tournament...Shikamaru and Ino are probably free! Oh and maybe Sasuke-bastard and Sakura-chan too!"

"Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan is at work now. She 'get out till six." Hinata stated, knowing basically everyone's schedule. It was currently five PM.

"Ah well, I'll just call Sasuke-bastard then." Naruto said carelessly, getting out his cell phone. "Yay, I'm not going to be bored anymore! Spiderpig, spiderpig, spiderpig does what a spiderpig does." He sang waiting for Sasuke to pick up. How he loved the movie he had just watched a few hours ago. Uh-huh, he was really bored.

* * *

"Whew, busy day huh Sakura." Tsunade said, wiping her forehead. They had treated a total of twenty patients that afternoon. Five of them were mental. 

"Yeah." Sakura agreed, cleaning her tools.

"Get some rest, tomorrow is probably another big day. Oh, would you mind taking the trash out in the back. There's an umbrella by the door." The elder requested, tying up a huge black plastic bag before giving it to Sakura.

"Sure, be right back Tsunade-sama." She said, hauling the trash out. The lightning had gone away by now but the rain seems to have gotten bigger.

She looked warily at the deserted street outside the clinic. Not a car was in sight. What's more, everything was dark and wet. A light post was blinking on and off on the opposite side of the road with mosquitoes swarming around it. _Somebody needs to change that light bulb... _

Shrugging off the shivers that ran down her spine, she dragged the trash with one hand while holding the small umbrella with the other. The umbrella barely gave Sakura any protection from the rain.

The garbage bin was at the back of the clinic. The only way to get there was through a dank alleyway covered with yellowy-green moss. She hated the place. The place was dim and disgusting. She had seen rats run around at the foot of the large stinky bin before. And sometimes, a few homeless people would come and raid the bin hoping to find a shiny nickel or two.

Her toes and socks were wet from stepping into countless of murky puddles. Her pace hastened, desperately wanting to get out of the place and return home. It wouldn't be surprising if she got back all drenched in muddy water.

_Splash! _

She turned around, but saw nobody. The noise didn't seem to be made by her. Chuckling, she continued. Her mind was probably playing tricks on her again. A whiff of a rotting stench awakened her from her nervousness, telling her that she had arrived to the reeking garbage bin. Hoisting the bag over with her brute strength, she dropped the bag among the others with satisfaction.

_Heh, you see...nothing bad happened. It's just you and the garbage bin..._She comforted herself. Turning around to trudge back to the warm clinic of hers, she gasped a little as she saw a crow staring at her with beady black eyes. ..._And a crow..._

_Splash!_

"They're all yours." She told the crow, pointing at the garbage bin. The crow however just cocked its head, looked at the direction of the alleyway and flew away.

"Huh?" Sakura watched the big black bird fly away unexpectedly and instantly felt she was being watched. Her heartbeat accelerated as the uncomfortable feeling of being watched stung her from every angle. Without warning, a pair of hands came up and grabbed her shoulders making her scream.

**TBC**

* * *

**August 15****th****, 2007**


	4. No Goodbyes

For Mylinh :)

* * *

_If I could fly up to the heaven, I'd carry you._

_If you asked me to disappear, I'd die for you._

_In return, I ask for you to remember._

_Remember our promise of the first snow._

-The frozen flower.

* * *

**No Goodbyes**

"Sakura chill! It's me!"

Sakura instantly shut her mouth up and peered at the person who almost scared her to death. Long blond tresses flowing down at the back with a body of a model, she sighed in relief as the person was none other than her best friend.

"Ino..."

"Yeah, it's me. Took you a while scaredy-cat. Listen, do you happen to...actually, let's get out of this disgusting place first and get on my car where we can hide from the rain. We need to talk." The blond said in a hurry and led her back to the clinic.

"Huh?" Sakura breathed cluelessly as she did what she was told.

"Hey Tsunade-sama," Ino greeted her old volleyball teacher, "Are you done with Sakura-chan yet? We need to go somewhere you see."

"Oh hey Ino, it's been a while since I last saw you, we're just about to close now." Tsunade nodded, "So you're free to take my little apprentice."

"Senseii..." Sakura said sheepishly. "I'm not li—"

"Ok thanks Tsuande-sama! We'll be going now!" Ino interrupted quickly pulling Sakura outside and pushing her into her car.

"Ow! Ino-pig, that hurt," She yelped, rubbing her knees that just got slammed against the tough leather seat. "What the hell is going on? What's the rush?"

"I'll explain on the way." Ino growled, firing up her red Lamborghini.

"Hey wait, I just remembered...I can't go with you wherever you want to go!" Sakura jumped up, attempting to get out of the deluxe vehicle. "Sasuke-kun is coming to pick me up!"

"That's the thing...Sasuke-kun won't be picking you up tonight. He's gone."

* * *

"Are you sure he's not at his meeting?" Naruto asked for the fifth time.

"For the fifth time Mr. Uzumaki," Jin said in annoyance, "Young Master left the meeting exactly five hours ago. The headquarters already confirmed it."

"BUT THAT BASTARD CAN'T JUST DISAPPEAR IN THIN AIR!" Naruto shouted, stomping his foot.

"Well he did Uzumaki." Neji said somberly, sitting on a seven meter couch in the Uchiha household.

"That's kind of impossible don't you think? How can a guy like him PLUS a million dollar customized black viper SRT 10 just be gone like that? UNNOTICED TOO!" The blond cried, trying to pull his hair out but was restrained by Hinata.

"W-We'll find him Naruto-kun." She cooed.

"We already searched for like six hours and got at least an army of Uchiha AND Hyuuga private police force searching for him! Something should come up right now. Are you sure they're professionals?" Naruto demanded.

"YES BLONDIE!" Neji fired up. Can't the dumb blonde see he was just as worried as him? "Those police forces were trained specifically to aid our households and have gone through at least ten years of training. They're the best of the best!"

"I don't get it...it's like he never existed in this world. Not one single clue!" Naruto collapsed on the couch.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?! He's _gone_ gone?"

"And that would be Sakura-chan." Hinata said quietly.

"Yes! Uchiha Sasuke is GONE gone! Hinata-chan and Naruto were bored and called him to come and hang out, but nobody picked up and you know that Sasuke-kun NEVER misses a call no matter what when one of us calls him. So they phoned Jin and asked him his whereabouts and found out that he 'supposedly' left his meeting to come and pick you up, so they called again but this time the phone was turned off. That's like hypocrisy, because again, Uchiha Sasuke NEVER turns off his cell phone. You being his girlfriend should know that pretty well."

Ino paused and took a deep breath.

"And WE as his best friends know that too. So naturally, Naruto and Hinata-chan got worried as well as Jin, so they searched around for him but couldn't find him. Oh, and did I say they literally called everyone? Well except for Mikoto-chan and Fugaku-sama of course, because we wouldn't want them freaking out that their son has been kidnapped or disappeared off the face of the earth!"

"So...not even those specially trained police forces can find him?" Sakura asked quietly, slowly believing that this wasn't just a joke.

"No...well...they're still searching Sakura-chan..." Ino said, trying to calm down and be optimistic.

"We'll find him, Sakura-chan." Hinata assured, hugging her.

"But it's pouring outside..."

"H-He'll be ok. He's Uchiha S-Sasuke remember?"

"You know...I still don't and won't believe he's gone."

"We know."

* * *

The night passed, then the day, and pretty soon the week passed.

"Any news?" Tenten asked although she already knew the answer. Sakura shook her head in dismay and glared at the rain that refused to stop for the last week. Her eyes were swollen and puffy from tears and lack of sleep. Beside her, sat Mikoto who flew back with Fugaku as soon as they heard the news. She also had swelled eyes. By now, the whole country of Japan was searching for Uchiha Sasuke.

News spreads fast remember? The whole population of Japan are now starting to turn on the news in hopes of getting some information about the lost heir.

There was a discovery however to the whole kidnapping. The police force had finally been able to track down a shack that Sasuke's car had supposedly been parked in, but by the time the police force had arrived to the shack, nothing was left and no clues can be found. Police are still investingating the area for furthur clues.

For a week, Sakura suffered from a torturous confinement in the Uchiha Mansion. Neither Fugaku nor Mikoto allowed her to go out and search for Sasuke in fear that she might get kidnapped too. Body guards were placed right outside her bedroom doors for safety and her education/work had to be temporary stopped until the police force sorts everything out.

As the future bride of an heir to the Uchiha fortune, it is everyone's number one priority to keep her safe.

"Miss Haruno, you're dinner is waiting." A servant informed, curtseying.

"I'm not hungry."

"Please Saku-chan, eat something." Mikoto pleaded.

Inner Sakura: If you let me go out then maybe I will.

"No it's alright, my stomach feels sick."

"Bring her some chowder and bread, keep the rest warm." The mother ordered with a sigh, stroking a family picture of hers before putting it back on a marble mantelpiece.

"Let me go out there Mikoto-chan."

"You know we can't do that Saku-chan. What if those kidnappers kidnapped Sasuke are only trying to lure you out?"

"……"

Inner Sakura: Uhh...I don't care?

"I know Sasuke...he's a strong boy." Mikoto comforted, but with fresh tears in her eyes. Sakura knew Mikoto was just saying all those things to comfort her and encourage her...but deep down, she was worried sick like any mother would and was willing to do anything to get her beloved son back.

Sakura forced a smile on her lips and look down at her stomach. "Yeah I guess...I guess I have to believe in Sasuke-kun more, he'll come back for sure."

"That's my girl." The mother smiled and gave her a hug.

"And...I guess I'm a little hungry."

If reverse psychology is what it takes. Then so be it.

* * *

Sakura paced around her room for the nth time inspecting any openings and vents. Heck, Sasuke was still human. And if he was such a 'strong boy' he wouldn't have been kidnapped.

There were two guards outside her room and four guards at the bottom of her window. (She lived on the second floor) Their job was to prevent anything from getting in _and_ getting out.

Inner Sakura: Like hell they can beat me in combat chehh...bring it on!!

Her plan wasn't solid yet, but she knew it now or never. She got fed up with waiting. Slipping on a comfortable t-shirt and shorts, she set her plan to work; starting with the vent that Sasuke showed her a few years back. Opening her closet door, she pushed aside heaps of clothes revealing a little trap door in the back.

Entering the tiny entrance, she arrived at a dark passageway that leads to the downstairs kitchen and a little basement depending on the way she takes. At first, she found the passageway to be spooky and she still did. However, no one was with her this time, so she had no choice but to gulp down her fears and use the hidden channels.

Remembering the way correctly, she successfully got into the basement and out a latched door in the courtyard. As expected, guards were patrolling everywhere with guns strapped onto their belts. Luckily, Mikoto planted rows and rows of lilac bushes in the courtyard giving her a place to hide in.

She had to thank Mikoto for that. Crawling through the bushes with care, she nearly jumped for joy when she came upon the big walls that bordered around the Uchiha estate. For this obstacle, she had to thank Tsunade for preparing her. During volleyball seasons back in Fiery Leaf High, the team had to do something called 'conditioning' during training.

Conditioning consists of sprinting for ten minutes, shuffle for ten minutes, and long distance running for another ten minutes. It was tiring, and sometimes they would have to do exercises like climbing walls or bench presses to improve their agility, power, and momentum.

All those horrible hours of training had finally come to a use. After careful planning in her bedroom, she had figured out the darkest wall in the whole Uchiha estate, and the one that most likely had the least security. A faint smile played on her lips as she remembered about the time she and Sasuke would sneak out of the estate and go roam around in the outside world without getting caught by the security camera.

_Alright, I can still do this..._ Rubbing her arms together to gather friction, she starting climbing on the wall with the help of vines Mikoto grew last summer. They grow fricken fast and long. The wall was basically covered with vines. Everything was at the right place except for the rain. Damn the rain.

By the time she had successfully climbed over the wall, her hands had bruises and her whole body was covered with dirt. Dusting herself for a minute or two, she continued her journey and set out to her old house that her parents had bought for her. They didn't want to sell it incase one member of the family needs a place to live.

-

"Dude what took you so long?"

"Hey, you didn't come from where I just came from. If you came from where I just come from, you wouldn't be talking." Sakura snapped tiredly.

"How would I know where you came from?"

"Not funny," She said sternly, opening up the door to her house. "Not funny at all Shikamaru."

Yes, of all the people out their, Shikamaru is the only one who can help her right now. Hinata, Tenten, and Ino would only worry about her and object her plan to search for Sasuke. Naruto wasn't emotionally stable enough. Neji was a one-man team which leaves Shikamaru.

Calm

Flexible

Lazy

Smart

"I hacked into the electrical company's database and copied the films from their security camera as well as all the surveillance cameras on the street."

Not to mention, he was an excellent hacker besides Sasuke.

Strange yet true.

Ino was a pretty good hacker too, and learning off from his girlfriend with his smart mind, he soon became a great candidate for a criminal mastermind.

"Great job Shikamaru! Did you get anything? Any clue?" Sakura asked eagerly, looking at the laptop that Shikamaru had brought.

"Yeah, I did and I found out something really unbelievable."

"Unbelievable?"

"Yes, troublesomely unbelievably crafty." Shikamaru nodded. "I didn't notice this before, until I replayed the whole film for the ninth time. Very troublesome."

"Well?"

"I think Sasuke was kidnapped _before_ he went to the meeting."

"What?!" Sakura couldn't help but exclaim. "But that's impossible! The people at the meeting said they saw him before their very eyes! How can he appear at both places at the same time?"

"That's the thing, he _can_."

"Explain."

"Well, look at this first." Shikamaru pointed at a particular window on his laptop.

A black viper, clearly Sasuke's, was driving on a road like it was any other day. Seeing a red light ahead, it slowly pulled into a stop. A second window appeared showing the car at a different angle as it turned right at the same stop light which had just turned green. A third and a forth window appeared showing the rest of the trip Sasuke took at different angles.

"Ok, now that you have an idea of the routes that Sasuke took, I want you to pay close attention to the car as I replay it especially at the red light stop." Shikamaru ordered, pressing replay.

Sakura observed the films at hard as she can without blinking. But no matter how hard she looked, she saw no difference. "I don't get it! I don't see anything! The films look fine to me, and from the angles I can see everything clearly. It doesn't look like Sasuke is attacked at all."

"Alright, let me zoom in on the car this time and replay it." He said, clicking a few buttons here and there to get the results he wanted.

This time, Sakura gasped.

"Oh my god..."

"Yeah, it's really easy to miss and plus the police force was so preoccupied with the films that were taken _after_ the meeting that they probably just glanced at the films before the meeting without any care."

"...Whoever we're dealing with," Sakura shivered, her heart pounding hard. "It's someone dangerous."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement." This bad guy clearly knows his technology. Creating a completely new film of his own and hacking into the security cameras replacing the original one, it's truely someone to be feared."

In front of their eyes were two windows of the zoomed in car (taken from the side) when it stopped at the stop light. Same position, but one second time difference. All the films recorded on the camera were black and white so the clue was easy to miss. Plus it was raining at the time making it all semi-blurry.

On the first window, a single outline of Sasuke could be seen in the driver's seat. However, on the second window, a faint gray silhouette of a second person could be seen aside from the driver; barely visible since the camera was low quality and colourless.

* * *

**Lol so what did you think? Wow this was the most suspenseful story I had ever written...dude...I really scared myself at the last scene when I wrote this...its like 12:38 am right now and my house is like...absolutely silent. Haha, I'm paranoid...and I always scare myself for some reason. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I love you guys haha! It's been fun reading your reviews and guesses, they are so interesting :) Too bad it wasn't Sasuke who tapped Sakura huh? **

**Ciao for now :)**

September 21, 2007


	5. Wish Upon A Falling Star

**For Miyuki Tsukada, happy happy happy belated bday my only F1 online buddy :) **

**This chapter might be a little bland. Sorry.

* * *

**

_You always found me in the end babe_

_Always and forever, never giving me my chance _

_Now it's my turn and there's no stopping me_

_Because this is what they call: love

* * *

_

**Wish Upon a Falling Star**

"I can't believe it!" Sakura was utterly lost for words as she stared at the computer.

"Yes, me neither." Shikamaru replied bleakly. "Something significant clearly has happened after the original second but this baddie we're dealing with washed away the evidence and replaced it with a new one."

"But Shikamaru, I still don't get it…I know this proves that Sasuke-kun was kidnapped after the conference…how though?!" Sakura furrowed her perfect eyebrows in confusion and scratched her head.

"My best guess Sakura…we have an imposter." The pony-tailed genius speculated and messaged his temples.

"An imposter…" She echoed softly. "Is this really possible though? With our current technology?"

"That's the thing…I'm not sure. I heard of DNA cloning but so far, they've only managed to clone a sheep. I really doubt they'll be able to clone a man, especially someone like Uchiha. Whatever it is, this is the best guess I've got so far." He repeated.

"We'll, there's only one thing we can do now right?" Sakura crossed her arms and glared at the two silhouettes in the second car.

"Yeah… We have to get a copy of the conference videos."

"You think the police will let us have it?"

"Nope…it's 'top secret' due to the fact that the conference was introducing a brand new product that hasn't been released on the market yet. They don't want any information to leak out you see."

"Wow…must be really top secret. Sasuke-kun didn't even tell me anything about it. I'll have to ask him about that when he comes back."

"Well, I think it's completely stupid and troublesome."

"You think we should tell the police?"

"No. They're already proved troublesomely useless. No offence to Neji."

"What do you think we should do to get the video?"

"You forgot who I am."

"Ah…I remember now. The infamous lazy hacker."

"Funny…anyways, aside from finding the imposter we need to find another thing too."

"What's that?"

"Sasuke's car."

* * *

Uchiha Mansion – Next Morning

'Good evening and welcome to the Konoha news report. The whereabouts of the multimillionaire heir Uchiha Sasuke are still unknown but the police force believes he is still somewhere in the country.

Investigations are now being carried out in the electrical company Sasuke-san was last at. Each personnel in the company are required to go through a series of interrogation and questioning. The Uchiha family are still greatly distressed and Uchiha Fukagu-sama are dispatching every police force he can to retrieve back his lost son-"

"Aargh…the media is useless." Fugaku growled and switched off his platinum TV.

"It always is father. They're famous for being useless." Itachi replied carelessly and sipped some red wine out of his crystal goblet. He had just arrived back from America that morning to join with his family.

"Hey dad," Sakura called out to Fugaku. Ever since she and he have come to a peaceful truce, she started calling him dad which Fugaku didn't seem to mind. (Sakura was too lazy to call him father-in-law every time.) "Is it possible for people to switch faces?"

"Switch faces?" Fugaku echoed hollowly.

"Well…I saw it on a movie once that there was this bad guy who got a face transplant with a good guy. They switched faces and no one could tell them apart. I was wondering if that's possible."

"Not that I know of." The elder scratched his chin. "Our technology isn't that advanced, you watch too many movies child."

"Hmph, it could be a possibility." Sakura pouted and sank deeper into her couch. It was suppose to be Sasuke's couch too but he was inconveniently gone for the moment. "How about cloning?"

"No, so far…they only managed to clone a sheep. And mind you, the sheep alone costs more than billions of dollars. Not even the Uchiha fortune can cover the cost. I doubt anyone else have money to do that besides the government."

"Honey, can't you dispatch a better police force?" Mikoto asked.

They were all in the living room discussing any possible leads to Sasuke's kidnapping. It was like a family reunion. Itachi was there sipping his red wine, Mikoto was on a tatami mat drinking her morning tea, Sakura was lying on her couch in her pjs, and Fugaku was pacing around the room in his velvet bathrobe. The only person missing was Sasuke who was again, inconveniently gone for the moment.

"You know I already have Mikoto. Even the Hyuuga's private security forces are helping and you know no one, not even the American FBI matches their superiority."

"Hmph…we'll I'm going to polish my cars. I ordered a new Porsche Turbo Cabriolet today. It should be arriving this afternoon." Itachi gulped down the last drop of his wine and set it down on the table for a maid to come clean it up. He was tired of this conversation.

"Itachi, how can you be polishing your cars at a time like this when your brother is kidnapped?!" Fugaku demanded angrily.

"Well, there's not much I can do is there? It's better to do something than to sulk all day father." He replied calmly.

"Hmph, just watch what your doing Itachi. I know some of those cars of yours are from the underground, if you get caught then it's your problem to deal with." The father said in a serious tone before sitting down.

"I know." Itachi replied and left.

Sakura looked at Itachi in surprise; she didn't know he was involved in some underground business. But then it kind of made sense once she thought about it. She had seen Itachi's gold class collections and all she could say was it was more than breathtaking.

Itachi bought a two acre storage house near the mansion with the money he had made in the family business along with the 123 cars that currently resides in it. The storage house had full security twenty-four seven and only a selected few can enter it. It was earthquake proof and completely sealed so that nothing can go in and out without Itachi's permission.

The Uchihas can really go crazy over their possessions. Mikoto had a mass collection of tea sets and china while Fugaku had a mass collection of watches. Sasuke was into automobiles too but he was content with his car and motorbike.

"So, Itachi-san is involved in some underground business?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Yes, but we trust you won't let this secret out Saku-chan." Mikoto said sternly and sighed. "That boy sure is worth a lot of trouble. No one, not even Fugaku can stop him from making certain decisions."

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." She reassured. "Do you mind if I join Itachi-san in the storage house?"

"I hope you're not influenced by Itachi and this underground thing of his Sakura." Fugaku looked seriously at her.

"Nope, not at all but I think Itachi-san is right. I can't sit around here and mope everyday can I? And since I'm not allowed to go out, I think it will do me good to admire Itachi-san's collection. I always liked cars."

"Alright, you can go." He nodded approvingly.

"Thanks dad." Sakura gave him a small smile before leaving. As soon as she left the room, she whipped out her pink cell phone and started dialing Shikamaru's number. Maybe it was time to let another person join the team.

'Yeah?' Shikamaru answered tiredly on the other end of the phone.

"Would you mind if I told what we find out so far to Itachi?" Sakura asked.

'Itachi? Why him?'

"First, he is Sasuke-kun's brother. Second, I just found out he's in league with some underground car trading group."

'Underground trade?'

'Shhh…I'm not supposed to tell, but I was thinking maybe his little connection might be able to track down Sasuke's car."

'Alright, by the way, I'm hacking onto the company's system now.'

"Tell me if you find out anything."

'You know, I can end up in jail for this.'

"Sasuke-kun will bail you out if you do end up in jail."

'Let's hope so. One more thing...do you think Itachi is trustworthy?'

"...We'll soon find out."

Sakura clicked her cell phone shut and stuffed it hastily down her pocket before setting off towards the storage house. _I hope Itachi can help…more or ever, trust him. __

* * *

_

"Neji-kun, why don't we take a break for a while?" Tenten asked gently and stood up from her laptop.

She was tired from staring at the computer for three hours straight. Neji kept on persisting on finding clues towards his rival's disappearance and so she decided to join in. But now, she was a little sick of searching. Yes, yes…she was sad and still deathly worried about Sakura, but she and Neji are not getting anywhere at all!

There goes three hours of searching going down the drain.

"Later Tenten." Neji replied with the same statement each time she asked. His pearl coloured pupils didn't even leave the screen of his laptop one bit. This ticked her off quite a bit.

"Neji-kun…" she said nicely, trying not to grit her teeth. "It's been three hours."

"I said later Tenten." The brunette male answered and scrunched up his eyebrows slightly out of annoyance. His eyes were still on the computer.

"We aren't getting anywhere at all." She shot back curtly.

"Thanks for telling me." He commented sarcastically and pealed his eyes away from the laptop.

_Finally! _Tenten screamed in her mind as she finally had some eye-to-eye contact with her boyfriend for the first time throughout the day. He was still searching for clues long before she joined him.

"God damnit Neji! You know it's true, we aren't getting anywhere at all! So I suggest you do stop staring at the fricken laptop or else your eyes will really turn white this time! You'll be colour blind before you know it!" She growled furiously. She was so angry that she even forgot to add the suffix behind his name.

Neji didn't seem to care though and felt his own anger rising up. "Well thanks for the information woman! And you know what? I'll tell you some information about you as well! For one damn thing, I never asked you to come and search with me!"

_What did he say?!_

"Second, I didn't ask you to come and scold me!"

_He did not-_

"Third, I can do whatever I want!"

_-say that!_

"FOURTH! You don't seem to care about your friends all that much do you?!"

_THAT'S IT! _

"THAT'S NOT TRUE HYUUGA!" Tenten shouted, her face beat red. "I DO CARE ABOUT MY FRIENDS! That's why I came and searched with you! All I asked is for you to take a break and this is what I get for concerning over you?!"

"You're not my mother!!" Neji glowered and stood up and loomed over his girlfriend.

"FINE! I'm not you're mother!" She yelled as clear drops of tears welled up in her eyes. "You sure care a lot about your girlfriend! Aargh, whatever, I'm leaving bastard! I hope you die in hell!"

"Then LEAVE!" He dared angrily and sat right back down with his back facing towards Tenten.

"Bastard." She whispered and ran out of the Hyuuga mansion with tears trailing behind.

* * *

"Itachi?" Sakura called out cautiously as she peered inside the storage house.

Itachi's head shot up to identify the sudden guest and felt his shoulders relax as Sakura showed herself openly. "It's you."

"Yeah." She replied and carefully ran to him. She didn't want to scratch his beloved cars which would be quite bad when one considers the consequences. She saw Mikoto, Fugaku, and Sasuke mad faces before but she had yet to see Itachi's mad expression. However, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to see it or not - especially not now when she needed him.

"Something about my brother, little princess?" Itachi asked intelligently and returned to polishing his newly arrived Porsche. He had started calling her little princess ever since she and Sasuke have gotten together. Sasuke hated the nickname of course, but didn't complain about it since she was fine with it.

"Y-Yeah…"

"I can't do much you know." He said straightforwardly without even glancing her.

"You can!" She insisted, practically begging. She then explained to him about the whole plan she and Shikamaru had concocted as well as their discoveries. "…so you see, we really need you to help us find Sasuke-kun's car. Please help!"

Itachi slowly stood up from where he was as he finished polishing one side of his car. It was so shiny that Sakura's reflection shone clearly on the metallic plate.

"Pretty please Itachi?" Sakura pleaded. "With your connections, I'm sure we can find it."

He blinked at her with his crimson black eyes and a small smirk slowly etched upon his face making Sakura shiver and confused. She flinched slightly as his hand came towards her. _Is he going to hurt me?!_

She watched his hands tentatively and squeezed them shut as it rested on her head and did nothing more. "Eh?"

"I'll help."

"Y-You will?" She widened her eyes and felt a grateful smile on her lips. However, she was still confused about why Itachi was currently smirking and his fricken scary actions.

Itachi shrugged casually and took his hands off of her which made Sakura strangely sad despite the tiny amount of fear inside her. She guessed she missed Sasuke's small gestures too much. Itachi's behavior reminded her of Sasuke so so much. His looks, his actions,

_His eyes_. She added flatly in her mind. _Although Sasuke-kun's eyes are more soft…darn… I miss him…_

"If you must know…I've been waiting for you to come asking for help." Itachi interrupted her thoughts and moved to the other side of his car to start polishing again.

Inner Sakura: WHAT?! Does this guy even know that his brother has just been kidnapped?! Does he even worry at all?! What the heck is wrong with this Uchiha?!

"You h-have?!" she answered in surprise.

He nodded in response and grinned. Sadly, his grin wasn't one of those sunny bright grins, but a dark one. "I figured you would try to find my little brother despite the quarantine my parents placed on you. I also predicted that you would contact that 200 IQ friend of yours and come up with some crazy plan to save Sasuke back."

"But why didn't you say anything about it?!" Sakura demanded in shock. Was she that obvious? Did anyone else see through her plans?

The elder Uchiha sibling shrugged his shoulders casually again before replying. "It was amusing."

"Amusing?" she couldn't help but echo.

Inner Sakura: What kind of a sadistic brother is he?! Hello!! You're brother's been kidnapped! You should be worried as hell!

"Don't look down on the Uchihas little princess." Itachi stated, ignoring her shocked response. "Sasuke isn't that weak and I assure you that he's fine. My predictions are always ninety-nine percent correct."

"You know where he is don't you?!" She hissed uncontrollably. A little anger flashed before her eyes and didn't go unnoticed by Itachi who smirked. _Were not toys!! _She wanted to shout.

"Calm down princess." He replied. "If I knew my little brother's location, I wouldn't be polishing this Porsche right now."

"So you don't know where he is." She said quietly and more calmly now.

"No."

"When did you find out about Sasuke-kun being kidnapped before he went to the meeting?" Sakura demanded subtly. She really needed to get to the bottom of this and secretly, to her relief, Itachi seems to be cooperating.

"Sometime around you and smartass did."

"Does anyone else know about this?!"

"No."

"Did you find out all of this by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?"

"Like I said…amusement."

"……."

"Done?" He asked mockingly and leaned gently on the hood of his car.

Sakura nodded but was still very unsatisfied with the answer to her last question. "Wait…"

"Hn?"

"Are you going to help us or not? Or are you still having not enough fun?"

"Don't be like that little princess. I'm not that mean." He replied in a very fake tone.

_Sure…_

"To prove that," he continued, "I'll help you on your little searching escapade princess."

"You will." This time, it was more of a statement than answer.

He nodded.

"In fact, I already know where his car is."

"What?!"

**TBC

* * *

**

**Alrighty, I know I didn't end this chapter in the correct place and lots of questions are still unanswered but it'll come. I'm a little afraid that people will stop reading this fic because of the confusion but pleaseee bear with me.**

**I'm also going to update this fic very soon again, sometime before Christmas break since I'm going back to sweet old North America. So hang on! Fluffs and answers will come later, I assure. **

**Thanks to my reviewers. I haven't really thanked you guys properly in a long time. ( Underlined means signed reviews) **

Ayame Takame

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**Love you guys! Have a good day! If you guys ever have time, please check out Miss. Understood and feel free to leave a comment. It's getting a little lonely up there :( **

**But anyways, ciao for now!**

December 2, 2007


	6. Choo Choo Train

**Heh…so I'm back –grins- Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's the next chappie. But before that, I want to thank you all. You guys have been great. You make me smile :)**

**I especially thank: **CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, dark Alley, neon kun, ihearttoast09, Kawaii IceCream, P-Prince, jensepeon, llDeEm LiGhTll, and pinky101.

**You guys are so dedicated. Did you think I didn't notice? Thank you and lots of hugs. **

original.character.rikku.apple: you're profile makes me wanna shine. Thank you!!

* * *

_Your bed is empty_

_Your drawers are neat_

_Your smell is gone_

_And so is my heart

* * *

_

**Choo Choo Train**

"What?!" Sakura nearly shrieked.

Itachi on the other hand, just shrugged carelessly.

Inner Sakura: Why are all the male population in the Uchiha family bastards?!!

"Why didn't you tell us you knew where his car is?!!" She demanded, although she knew the answer perfectly well. It was even crystal clear.

"Amusement." The elder Uchiha grinned softly making Sakura growl. The term can even become a cliché of its own. "You're actions are entertaining little princess."

_Bastard!!!! _

"Have you checked the location yet?"

Itachi nodded and rested his upper torso on his car as if he was in total relaxation. A vein popped out of Sakura's not-so-large forehead as she clenched her fists to prevent herself from punching Itachi.

"Well?!"

"Well what?" He teased.

"You know very well what I meant." She gritted her teeth.

"My my…such temper."

"..."

Inner Sakura: Is he testing me?!

"_Well_…I guess the answer to that question is yes. I have checked the location."

"And?"

"_And…_ the car is there but the people are gone."

"Did you find anything? Where's the car now?"

"As a matter of fact, I did manage to find a trace of our enemy's DNA. The car is still in the location. The situation would get worse if I move it around." His soft grin stretched wider as he pulled a small vial from his back pocket.

"Whose is it? The DNA...who does it belong to?" Sakura immediately forgot about her anger as she looked intently at the vial of glass that Itachi was daintily holding.

"No idea. Unfortunately, that's the information I don't have. The person who owns this DNA is not listed in my database. I don't think it's listed in the country's database either because I did some light hacking before."

_S-Scary…this guy hacked into the country's database?! You fricking kidding me? _She looked at him in awe. _He's truly formidable. _

"Of course, I have no intent on digging any deeper into the government's files. The answer may be there, but I can't say for sure." Itachi continued. "Anyway, it ruins the whole purpose of the game."

"Game?! What do you think this is Itachi?" Sakura finally blew up, "You're brother has been kidnapped!! Don't you care at all?! I suppose you want me to figure out whose behind all of this instead of finding it out yourself because you like watching other people suffer-"

"Ah…suffer is the wrong word princess." He interrupted while tapping his chin thoughtfully. "More like spicing up the current situation to make it more interesting."

"Drama-freak." She growled.

"Ouch. I guess I won't be giving you this vial then." Itachi smirked and twirled the vial playfully around his fingers.

"I- argh….fine. I lost. Please give me the vial Itachi." Sakura surrendered. She could totally understand why Sasuke doesn't like him now.

"Hn…and you give me what in exchange?"

Sakura's jaw dropped. This guy…She didn't even know where to start. "What do you want?"

Itachi pretended to think for a minute before eyeing darkly at her with pure enjoyment. "How about a kiss?"

"A WHAT?!"

"Aww…so I guess you won't be my future sister-in-law then since you would rather not kiss me than to save your boyfriend."

"What the fucken hell?!" She hissed and felt her eyes narrow. "Do you want me to cheat on my boyfriend?"

"It's not cheating. It's just a display of relative affection." Itachi replied with fake innocence dripping off from his mouth.

"Fine then Itachi."

Itachi lifted an eyebrow and stared at the girl with a bemused expression.

"I'll go find Sasuke for myself. I don't need your help. Whether it's cheating or not, I refuse to kiss a sucker like you. You suck Itachi. I can't believe you would actually make others do something like this. And unlike you, I am willing to try my best and stay faithful to my boyfriend even if he's not with me." Sakura said defiantly and prepared to stomp away.

She was glad that Itachi had a shocked expression on his face. It looks like he hasn't been rejected before. _Well good for him…I hope he gets what he deserves…_ She nodded with satisfaction and began walking back towards the exit.

"Heh, I guess you pass."

Sakura stopped in her tracks and turned around with a confused face. He really was kidding her. _Why? What did I ever do to you bastard?! _

"Catch." Itachi smirked and threw the vial to her which she did managed to catch.

"What the-"

"What do you expect? I can't let my brother marry some unworthy whore." He shrugged casually. "I won't let that annoying kid bring shame upon my name."

"You…"

"It was interesting watching you little princess. Now go and find out where that kid is. I need him to run a few errands for me."

"T-Thank you…I guess." Sakura stammered slightly and bowed before running back to the main mansion. She guessed the eldest son in the Uchiha family wasn't such a bastard after all…however he was still evil and a one hundred percent jerk just like the rest of the male population in the Uchiha household.

Anyhow, she couldn't wait to contact Shikamaru. Maybe she could even get him to hack into the government's database. Holding the vial up at eye level, she peered at the contents within and gasped slightly. Inside the glass vial was a small fragment of sandy red hair.

* * *

A Week Later 

"Dad, can I please go to school?" Sakura asked Fugaku one morning.

"No." The senior replied with a grim face.

"It's been almost a month. Please, let me go. I'm behind on my studies and I promise I'll be a good girl. I will even let the guards escort me around." She pleaded.

"I guess… it couldn't hurt dear." Mikoto thought for a moment. It really has been almost a month since Sakura went to school.

"...Alright. You shall be escorted by two guards wherever you go and you are only allowed to stay in school grounds. Nowhere else, got it?"

"Yup! Thanks!" Sakura clapped her hands in delight and raced to her room to prepare for the necessary things. She didn't have the chance to sneak out the past week nor did Shikamaru have the time to drop by. It was really time to get to the bottom of things.

* * *

Blaze Institute Parking Lot 

Sakura stepped out of her car gleefully and onto the pavement. Two male guards appeared behind her and followed wherever she went. As expect, a throng of whispers and chatters could be heard everywhere she went. Nonetheless, she just ignored it.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned around happily to meet Ino's familiar voice. Naruto, Tenten, and Hinata could be seen behind her.

"Welcome back!" They smiled and hugged her.

"I missed this place like hell." She replied and returned their smiles but then frowned when she saw Tenten. "Tenten, what happened to you?"

"N-Nothing Sakura-chan. Don't worry about me, I'm so happy that you're back." Tenten chuckled.

"But-"

_Bringgggggggggggggggggggg_

"See you later Sakura-chan!" Tenten waved and quickly went away.

"W-We'll explain later S-Sakura-chan." Hinata assured her and went away with the others.

_What the heck happened while I was gone?!_ Sakura thought as she went to her first class. Tenten's eyes were so puffy and red that she looked like she had been hit by more than one soccer ball.

When Sakura entered her classroom, her professor immediately handed her a stack of make-up homework and gave her an unhappy look. Looks like the professor was the only one who enjoyed her missing presence.

As old times went by, Sakura indeed found herself not being able to concentrate in class yet again and couldn't stop herself from fidgeting all the way through. She was so worried about Tenten. When the bell rang, she directly stood up and went out the classroom without even waiting for her professor to finish her last sentence. Unfortunately, on the way, a crowd of Sasuke's fangirls started to make their way to her. Her guards tensed up and prepared to guard their charge. Sakura looked at them with slight nervousness and wondered if they were going to start pouncing on her right now after Sasuke's gone.

"Haruno Sakura." One of them greeted.

_They don't look like they're trying to pick a fight…_

"Yes?"

"We…" the first one trailed off and bit her lips in hesitation.

"We're sorry for you." Another finished the first one off in a stronger voice.

"Huh?" She felt her mouth drop. She thought they were Sasuke's fangirls. Aren't fangirls supposed to be vicious?

"The truth is, we really hate you."

Sakura sweat dropped and twitched an eyebrow. "…That's…nice to hear…"

"However, we just want you to know that we sympathize with you. You probably like Sasuke-kun just as much as us and I think we're all pained by his disappearance so don't give up. We hope you will try your best to find him because we miss him a lot. That is all we have to say."

"T-Thank you…" She was shocked and almost speechless. This kind of speech was actually coming from one of Sasuke's slobbering fangirls!!

"Fangirls…MOVE OUT!" The presumed leader instructed and the club all went quietly away.

"Did you just see that?" Sakura asked her guards blankly.

"Yes miss."

"I can't believe they just did that." She said in awe. "I guess fangirls aren't as bad as I thought…"

"Yes miss, we think you better get going now miss. You're friends are waiting."

"Oh right, thanks." Sakura snapped out of daze and hurried over to the meeting place. Everyone was there excluding Neji.

"So what have you got for us Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"This." She took out the vial and explained how she got it. Of course, she didn't tell them about the things she and Shikamaru found out.

"Alright, let's see what we have here." Shikamaru started and opened up his laptop and a little scanner-like object.

"Red hair?" Tenten commented.

"Yeah…any idea?"

"Nope…I don't know anyone with red hair." She replied.

"S-Same here." Hinata followed.

"I know a few, but they're all overseas." Ino answered.

"Shikamaru, can you try hacking into the government files?" Sakura asked.

"Not sure, I'm still in the middle of scanning the DNA." He said and went directly to work with his set of supplies. He had managed to borrow some of the latest supplies from the crime lab.

"So tell me…what happened Tenten-chan?" Sakura asked calmly as they waited for Shikamaru to do his job.

"..."

"Tenten-chan, it's alright. You can tell me. I won't laugh or anything. Tell me what's wrong."

Tenten then started sobbing uncontrollably. "I-It's N-Neji-kun…I t-think we broke up."

"It's alright girl." Ino cooed and hugged her friend.

Hinata and Naruto explained to Sakura all that has happened and told her Neji had refused to apologize or see Tenten ever since. Sakura instantly felt guilty due to the fact that she and Sasuke were actually the root of the problem. If Neji hadn't tried so hard to find Sasuke, this would never have happened.

"Tenten-chan, I'm so sorry." She apologized and hugged the crying girl.

"It's a-alright, he's a-a bastard anyway."

"No, this is our fault Tenten-chan. I promise I'll make it all back to normal. It's not his fault and it's definitely not yours. I'm sorry you have to bear all this."

"Um…sorry to ruining the moment, but I have some news." Shikamaru interrupted.

"Shika!!" Ino grumbled and smacked the back of her boyfriend's head.

"What?! I said I was sorry."

"Nevermind, nevermind. Go on with what you're saying." She sighed.

"Fine, well its bad news anyway. The thing is, I can't find hack into the government's database. It's too complex for me. Itachi must be a high leveled hacker to hack into something like this. Which by the way, makes him a very frightening person." He stated. "But, I did find out his blood type. It's AB negative whereas Sasuke is AB positive."

"Alright, so all we have to do is find any red head and draw out his blood."

"You idiot! We can't just take someone else's blood whenever we wish!" Sakura muttered and smacked Naruto's head which Hinata failed to do.

"What do you think we should do?" Tenten asked quietly.

"Nothing for the moment until more clues comes up." Shikamaru concluded with a sigh.

_Bringgggggggggggggggggggg_

"Marketing class…oh goodie."

* * *

Shikamaru's Bedroom 

"Think…think…" The 200 IQ genius told himself as he looked over a book labeled, Hackers for Dummies. It was actually an useful book. (AN: Sorry, I never read it but I see it all the time so it must be useful hehe… :D)

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep_!

His cell phone suddenly rang making him jump up in surprise. "Phone's are so troublesome…"

He slowly made his way to his phone and picked it up when he saw that it was Sakura. He was expecting her call for sometime now.

"Hey Shikamaru."

"Hey." He replied.

"Listen, about today. You really found nothing else did you?"

"Nope, I wasn't lying about that."

"Oh…alright. Should we tell the others what we found out?"

"Not yet, especially when Tenten and Hyuuga are like this... I think this information will only make Hyuuga search even more. As for Naruto and Hinata, they're already busy trying to patch up their relationship. And Ino? Well, I don't see the harm but I really don't want her to get so worked up about it. For all I know, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep and wake up the next day all grouchy."

"I guess. Hey, do you think the hair might belong to our imposter?"

"It can be a possibility. Or it can belong to his accomplice."

"Ohh…"

"Don't worry Haruno. It's getting late now; I think you should get some rest. I have a feeling that we're going to find Sasuke really soon."

"You do?"

"Yup, bad guys that are this troublesome can't hide forever."

"Haha, I guess you're right. Thanks smartass. Bye."

"Bye."

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!_

"What the!" Shikamaru jumped up in surprise again as his phone vibrated against his ears. What is up with all the phone calls?

"Shikaaa!!"

"Oh, it's you." Shikamaru replied blankly and sighed. He was so tired.

"What do you mean _it's me_?!" Ino demanded over the phone.

"Nothing, nothing…what's up?"

"Who were you talking to?"

"What?!"

"I said, Who were you talking to?!" she repeated in a serious manner. "I called at least three times, but each time, it said your phone was busy. Who was it Shika? Who would be calling you this late?"

Shikamaru grumbled and covered his eyes. _Not this again…_

"It's a friend."

"A friend eh? Do I know this friend of yours by any chance?"

"..."

Should he tell her it was Sakura? But then if he did, he would have to explain to her why he was talking to her which would end up him telling her everything he had found out.

"It's just some distant friend. He's a family friend of mine in the states."

"..Mhmm..really now...Shika…you've been acting a little bit strange lately you know."

_Damn…_

"You don't have time to go out with me more and every time I call you or try to spend some time with you, you always tell me you're busy. What is up Shika? I don't want to let my imagination wonder and accuse of something that you didn't do. You can tell me, I will understand."

_Heh…you will understand alright, and you won't stop bothering me with it. _

"It's…personal Ino. I'll tell you later, but not now."

"Fine…just tell me who you were talking to."

"Sakura. Does that make you feel better now?"

"What were you talking about?"

"Sasuke. Anymore questions?"

"As a matter of fact-"

"Later Ino." He knew he shouldn't have asked that question.

"Fine. Love you Shika!"

"You worry too much."

* * *

Uchiha Residence - Kitchen 

"How was school today Sakura-chan? We haven't seen you since dinner." Mikoto said worriedly.

"It was good, but my professor sure gave me a bunch of _extra_ makeup work." Sakura growled and poured some water into a cup. It was almost eleven pm at night and she had finally finished all her makeup work.

"Really? I thought you did them all with the tutor."

"Well professors are evil these days. On top of it all, my professor particularly hates me." She shrugged. "See you Mikoto-chan, I think I'll go to bed now."

"Good night dear. Sweet dreams."

Sakura groggily went out of the kitchen bitterly and entered the main hall via the dining room. The mansion sure was a big place. _Cheh…sweet dreams…does nightmares count? _

She sipped her cup of water and slowly ascended up the stairs when something caught her eye. Why on earth was Itachi facing Jin with the door opened?

"Is something wrong?" She asked curiously and went up to them. Jin had a shocked frozen look on his face.

"Itachi what's the matter?" She inquired more strongly and wondered what they were up to. But none of them replied.

"Yooo!!" Sakura called out, getting a little bit angry. "Are you even-"

"Yes." Itachi replied and turned around with a grin.

A gasp escaped from Sakura's lips as she realized why Jin was so shocked. The following events happened so fast that even one does not have the time to fathom. Or maybe, it was because it happened to fast that what happened in the next two minutes was so obvious.

With a sound of Sakura's cup crashing into a million shards on the marble ground, a deathly silence that followed after, a series of footsteps running down the hallway to find out what all the glass-breaking commotion was about- it was so unfathomable that it was too damn right obvious. Anyone could guess what happened.

"Sasuke…" She managed to whisper.

**TBC

* * *

**

**Ohohoho, so Sasuke came back!! Happy? Excited? Sad? **

**Haha, anyway…I thought the Tenten part was a little sappy, sentence fragments everywhere, and the storyline going by too fast which makes me unsatisfied with this chapter. Also, if you guys are wondering about the title...well, I've been going off on a few tangents lately. Sry for the randomness hehe... I kinda lost interest in most of my fics except for the maid one. But I'm positive the inspiration will come back. It's just a phase I'm going through. **

**Anyways, I have a RANT! **

**Ohhhh my god. What the hell is up with this site?!! I tried and tried to put brackets in the summaries of my stories, but the STUPID damn site wouldn't let me!!! **

**I DEMAND MY BRACKETS BACK!!! **

**Ahhhhhhh!!! I don't get it, it used to be allowed. Why the hell would ff net do something like this?! Argh…yes readers, I need my brackets. –cough- **

**Anyways, have a good day. Don't forget to drop a review. Ciaoo! **

**-Mumbles- Stupid site….I demand a strike…. Rawr. **

January 21, 2008


	7. What I Wouldn't Give For You

**Much love and thanks. **

**Warning: Corny stuff...

* * *

**

_Tell __me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_That's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_Its no air, no air_

-Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown

* * *

With a sound of Sakura's cup crashing into a million shards on the marble ground, a deathly silence that followed after, a series of footsteps running down the hallway to find out what all the glass-breaking commotion was about- it was so unfathomable that it was too damn right obvious. Anyone could guess what happened. 

"Sasuke…" She managed to whisper….

**What I Would****n't Give For You**

"Hey Sakura…" Sasuke gave her a sorry look but managed to smile a little.

"You…" She started to feel hot round tears welling up her eyes.

"Aren't you going to give me a little hug?" He teased, bending down a little.

Sakura looked at him disbelievingly, biting her lips and holding onto her breath. It was too good to be true. But she had to give this hallucination a try. Whether he was a fake, an illusion, or a trick, she had to give him a try. Laughing joyously and crying at the same time, she ran for him and threw her arms around him.

Sasuke laughed a little himself out of glee and returned her hug. How long had he waited for this? It's been so long that her touch seemed almost foreign.

"Is it really you?" Sakura whispered against his ears.

"What do you think?"

"I hope it _is _you."

"Then it is me." He grinned, lifting her up with both arms and looked at her closely. Those same pretty forest-green eyes, button nose, rosy lips and cheeks, long flowing bubblegum hair that attracted him so much, fair peach skin, snow-white teeth, and every feature that he just secretly loved so much... she was finally in his hold again.

"Master! Mistress! This way! Young master came back!!" They heard Jin shout out ecstatically.

"Sasuke? _My_ Sasuke?!" Mikoto's urgent voice rang through the hallway. One by one, the lights from each hallway lit up and servants began peeking out to see what was causing the emotion.

"Here they come." Sasuke smirked and set Sakura down, giving her a light kiss on the cheeks before anyone saw. Sakura blushed and restrained herself from kissing him back.

"Sasuke!!" Mikoto almost screeched as she arrived and darted to him as fast as she could and gave her son a yearning hug.

"..." Fugaku looked at his son disbelievingly as he watched his wife reunite with their son.

"Father?" Sasuke looked at him with acknowledgment.

"...H-How – Are you alright?" Fugaku cleared his throat.

"Yeah."

"I'm glad." The elder replied curtly but everyone could tell there were small tears of joy lining his old eyes.

"W-Where have you been all this time?!" Sakura blurted, tugging his sleeves.

"Yes Sasuke, where have you been? Were you hurt in any way? Did someone kidnap you?" Mikoto inspected him from head to toe.

Sasuke suddenly frowned and looked at them through his noir eyes trying his best to recall the past events. "No…" He sighed.

"What no?" Sakura echoed.

Sasuke just shook his head and stared at them with regretful eyes. "It's no use, whenever I try to recall what happened to me, I-I…can never remember…"

"You can't remember? Then how did you get here?"

All of them snapped their heads up towards the top of the stairs and saw Itachi coming down. "Welcome back little brother." He smiled sinisterly.

"Itachi…" Sasuke glowered at his brother as he came and ruffled his hair.

"You've grown taller." Itachi remarked.

Sasuke shrugged and looked at Sakura. "It's been awhile. How long was I gone for again Sakura?"

"Almost two and a half weeks." She replied, watching him in surprise. _He did grow a bit…I even thought he was Itachi from the back!! _

"Around three weeks." Sasuke rounded up and looked at Itachi coldly. "I'm nineteen aren't I? They say males grow the most when they're nineteen. Anyhow…it's been a while."

Mikoto looked at both of her sons as everyone soon became silent and awkward. "Well now!" She clapped her hands delightfully. "All that matters is that our little Sasuke is back safe and sound. But…how did you get here?"

Sasuke messaged his head for a minute and closed his eyes. "When I woke up, I was at school with this junk on and my head throbbed like hell. It was dark and I tried to recall what had happened but nothing came up. Since I didn't know what was going on, I did the only thing there was – come back."

They all looked at him and noticed for the first time that he was half-naked. His whole body was covered with dirt and his black business pants were slightly torn. Sasuke then directed his attention to Itachi and glared. "Satisfied?"

Itachi grinned and ruffled his hair again. "Welcome back little brother."

"Well! It's getting late now and I know there's a lot of things to talk about, but we'll leave that for tomorrow. In the mean time, Rya and Kiru, go prepare a hot bath for Sasuke and get him cleaned up." Mikoto ordered her personal servants.

"Ah…b-but-" Sakura stammered quietly watching as Mikoto's servants pull Sasuke away.

'Later' Sasuke mouthed to her and disappeared behind the walls.

She nodded with a sigh and scolded herself for being so impatient. Now that Sasuke was back, she had all the time in the world to spend it with him. It wasn't like he was going to get kidnapped again in the shower.

"Sakura, you should go get some sleep too." Mikoto said gently and ushered her into her room. "Tomorrow's a big day…don't get naughty now."

"W-What?"

The mother just laughed softly and went away. Sakura sighed and collapsed on her bed wishing Sasuke would just hurry up. Ten minutes….fifteen minutes…thirty minutes passed… _Sasuke should be done by now right? _She thought impatiently, getting up eagerly and went out. The hallway was dark and quiet since Jin had ordered everyone to go back to sleep. However, a slit of light could be seen under Sasuke's door at the end of the hall.

_He__'s done!!_ Sasuke smiled gleefully and crept silently to his room, slipping in without anyone noticing.

"Didn't anyone tell you to knock before?"

"Ah…err…." She chuckled nervously, turning around to meet a half-naked Sasuke again. _Dang…I forgot how hot his body was…_She gulped staring at those abs with droplets of clear water on the skin. Sasuke was currently drying his hair and the only thing he had on was a black boxer.

"Enjoying the view?" He smirked, interrupting her thoughts.

Inner Sakura: W-Why you…….Sasuke equals J.E.R.K!!!

"Don't flatter yourself Uchiha." She snapped but retreated timidly towards Sasuke's bed as he walked to her. She suddenly felt afraid of him and gulped again as he came nearer and nearer until he playfully pushed her unto the bed.

"Sa-" She started to protest but was cut off by his mouth which seemed a little hesitant at first. Sakura felt herself flinch a little under the alien touch but soon relaxed and even felt a little excited as soon as she remembered this was _Sasuke_ she was fearing about. Gradually, little by little, she gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in.

Even though his touch seemed outlandish, she liked it and groaned a bit as Sasuke entered his tongue and started having a tongue tussle with her. _Peppermint…_she smiled as she started to remember _their_ kiss at nights before when Sasuke come out of the shower with having his teeth brushed and all that.

They kissed fervently in each other's embrace and 'played' around. Just a little bit though. Sakura sighed contently as she broke their kiss and touched his forehead with hers. She closed her eyes as she slowly breathed in the familiar smell of Sasuke's favourite shampoo and combed his hair lightly with her hands.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, watching her relaxed face and noticing how long her lashes were.

"About you."

Sasuke felt himself secretly smile and nuzzled against her neck to prevent her from seeing his lips curving upward. An Uchiha can be shy can't he? "You know…when I woke up at school, the first thing I thought about was pink." He murmured softly.

"I miss you too Sasuke." She hugged him tightly as if he was going to leave her again.

"Hn…I still remember about that time when we went to the grocery store and you were trying to find out where that sugar was." He reminisced quietly, enjoying every moment. He would give anything just to get back into her arms again.

"And I remember how I had won the contest." She laughed lightly, feeling at peace. "You still have to wash my car."

"How annoying…"

"Zzzz….."

Sasuke quietly laughed and lay there silently feeling Sakura's chest rising up and down at a very uniform pace. Oh, what he wouldn't give…just to have her by his side.

* * *

Morning 

"Sasuke, wake up! Wake up!"

_WOOF!_

"Hnn…what?" He yawned groggily and rubbed his eyes.

"I said wake up! It's morning already! Everyone's waiting!" Sakura called and put on a warm dark-green furry jacket. (One hundred percent fake fur by the way)

_WOOF! _

"Alright, alrigh- WHAT THE FRICKIN HELL?!" He jumped as a huge golden dog sat in front of him with his tail wagging.

Sakura laughed and hugged the dog. "So I see Sasuke's afraid of his own dog now. It's Shadow! Don't tell me you've forgotten about him."

"A-As if…come here boy." Sasuke growled, blushing slightly and signaled the dog to come. However, Shadow just sat where he was and wagged his tail. Sakura looked at the canine with a confused expression for a second since the dog had always listened to everything Sasuke said. But then a smile played on her lips as an idea came to her.

"I think Shadow wants you to go to him."

"Heh, you know…he's as annoying as you." Sasuke commented and got up to scratch the fur behind the dog's ears. Shadow just panted and continued wagging his tail.

"Whatever Uchiha. Hurry up and get dressed!" Sakura giggled giving him a peck on the cheeks. "Come along now Shadow."

The dog instantly followed her obediently to her surprise again but she just patted his head and went downstairs to meet up with Milly. Sasuke sighed and stretched a little before going to the washroom to get ready and wash his hands for it was full of the smell of dogs.

* * *

"Good morning Itachi." Sakura greeted cheerfully as the elder brother came down. 

"You're happy." He commented with a smirk and sat down on his seat in the dining room.

"Of course, what did you expect?" She raised an eyebrow at jokingly.

"Nothing." Itachi shrugged, stuffing a French toast inside his mouth. "I just thought you lost your virginity that's all."

"WHAT?!" Sakura almost spat out her juice and stared at him with saucer plate eyes.

"Morning everyone!" Mikoto's voice interrupted their little conversation as she arrived with Fugaku.

"Where's Sasuke?" Fugaku asked, looking around.

"Here." Sasuke answered from behind and slid into his seat beside Sakura.

"Morning Sasuke." Mikoto smiled.

He nodded his head politely and stuck a fork inside a perfectly sliced tomato in front of him. _Tomatoes…_

"It's so nice to have everyone back again." The mother commented brightly.

"Sure is." Sakura nodded as they all ate their breakfast. Fugaku then told them about how he had already informed the police of Sasuke's arrival and how they could start going to school normally again but with guards around every after school.

"We still need to find the culprit." He said, drinking a glass of morning champagne.

Mikoto dabbed her lips daintily like a lady and looked at Sasuke and Sakura. "Are you guys going anything later?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura cluelessly and shrugged.

"Well…" She started. "I was thinking of visiting Neji and the others…without guards by our side of course."

"You sure?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow.

"Honey, now that Sakura's with him, I'm sure they can both take care of themselves just fine." Mikoto said confidently. "Just be sure to get back at six though because we still have to go to the police station since they want to seek an audience with Sasuke."

"Fine with me." Sasuke finished the last bit of his breakfast and looked at Itachi who had been silently staring at him for the past half hour. "Something on my face?"

"No…I was just thinking about how much it looked like a dart board. It kind of makes me want to throw something at it." Itachi answered casually.

"Brotherly love." Sakura rolled her eyes and got up to leave. It would truly be a miracle if Sasuke and Itachi got by a family breakfast without insulting each other's faces. A maid then came by her and took her plate away. Sasuke just glared at his brother and followed Sakura out.

"We'll be going to the Hyuuga's now." She bid and got her shoes.

"Be careful!" Mikoto called out as they left and scolded Itachi for being setting such a bad example towards his little brother.

* * *

"You know Sasuke, Neji and Tenten aren't doing so well because of us." Sakura informed worriedly as they arrived to the Uchiha's main garage. 

"What do you mean?"

"I heard they got into a nasty fight because Neji had been spending all his time trying to find you." She explained and told him everything that had happened till now – about Shikamaru cracking the video and all that. All excluding her meeting with Itachi, because she didn't want Sasuke to get pissed off at his brother again.

"That Hyuuga…" Sasuke muttered and got his car keys from Sakura.

"Yeah…they really are good friends aren't they?"

"Hn…" He drove out of their garage quietly and thought about the current situation.

"But…" Sakura punched him lightly on the shoulders as soon as she saw a frown on his face. "Now that you're here, we'll give them the biggest surprise ever."

Sasuke smirked and turned around a corner. "I bet Hyuuga will scream like a girl when he sees me."

"Sasuke! Be nice!" She laughed and felt her heart thump heavily for a quick second. "But you know, Neji's not the only one that's going to scream like a girl."

"Why?" He looked at her curiously.

"Because I told everyone to meet up at his house. We'll give them the shock of their lives."

"So the dobe's going to be there too huh."

"Yup."

"Yeah, he'll scream like a girl."

Not long after, they arrived shortly at the Hyuuga's residence and the steal gates opened automatically as soon as the guards saw that it was one of their master's friend's car. Already, they could see Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Naruto, a very saddened Tenten, and a grumpy Neji out in the garden waiting for them.

Sakura got out of the car as Sasuke parked in front of the mansion's doors and waved at them.

"Sakura, what's up?" Ino ran to her with a worried expression.

"Y-Yeah…you sounded like you were in a r-real rush when you called us." Hinata checked her face to see if there was any sign of puffy eyes. But to her relief there was none. Although it made her all the more curious.

"I was in a hurry…and do you know why?" Sakura smiled widely and crossed her arms.

"Tell us already." Ino cried impatiently.

"I…don't think she needs to." Shikamaru interrupted and stared at the figure climbing out of the driver's seat.

"You didn't think I brought a chauffer with me did you?" Sakura laughed.

"Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-" Naruto stammered to the point where everyone thought he was a sheep. "-stard??"

They gasped as they realized their eyes were not fooling them and it really was their friend in front of them.

"Yo." Sasuke grinned casually and walked up towards them.

"Sasuke…" Tenten said something aloud for the first time that day.

"...is back." Neji finished her sentence for her without thinking.

The Uchiha prodigy just smirked and hung an arm around Sakura. "You guys look like idiots with your mouths open like that. Flies will start flying in you know?"

* * *

Night? Morning? Afternoon? 

It was dark everywhere but at least the room was nice. Except it would've been better if there were windows in the room… The room was decorated in a very authentic style. It was a small room with small furniture. The only thing that was decent in size was the bed. Otherwise, the whole chamber would look exactly like a dollhouse.

The room really was authentic. It even had a fricken authentic smell. Aside from the bed it had a small wooden table, an Arabian couch, an oaken wardrobe, a fine wool carpet, a wooden door, and a steal one. From the wooden door, one can gain access to a polished marble bathroom with every type of bathroom facility one can ever imagine.

It was nice. Authentic.

The steal door was far from it though. It was locked, bare, and cold so that no one can get in or out. The only thing that connected the outside to the authentic room was a small open slit where one can peer through from the outside. The smell of wood was heavy under his nose. It either smelled new or someone had just polished it too much with oil.

It made him his mind dizzy though and caused him to wish for some real fresh air. The smell was so strong to the point that he just wanted to suffocate and die. The small authentic room only made it worse. Not only that, the sound of metal chains almost made him go crazy too. He craved for freedom and thought his kidnapper was very humorous.

Who in the world would put him in a room that has access to a bathroom and yet tie him up in chains like a mummy to refrain him from going _anywhere_. And who in the world would put their victim inside such a high class room? A stalker maybe? No…probably a fan girl. Yes, that's it. It must be a brainless oil-loving fan girl. His captor was truly humorous. But most of all…he/she was fucking out of his/her mind.

WHO in the fucking world would so obsessed with oil-stinking wooden furniture and expect their victims to enjoy living in that awful stench? If they wanted to suffocate him that bad, just use poison for God's sakes. If they wanted to make the room smell good, just use a fricken perfume. That's what they're made for.

He fidgeted around for a bit trying to get into a more comfortable position. It was a hard task though, considering his whole middle part of his body was bound in chains.

What he wouldn't give for a waft of fresh air.

What he would give to get back to her.

**TBC

* * *

**

**Yeah, yeah haha…I know I made it obvious that it was an imposter…but meh…I wasn't really feeling all that mysterious today so this would just have to do. If you didn't know that it was an imposter…oops…sorry about ruining it for you haha… anyways, I hope this turned out alright. **

**Truth to be told, I didn't really 'connect' with this chapter at all. Oh, and I decided to drop the chan, kun, san thing… I'll probably go back to my previous chapts and delete those suffixes. But anywho… happy readings. Ciao for now hehe. **

**ETC Status: Revised up to chapter 2... I even got pissed revising it too lol. **

**Reviews and questions are deeply appreciated. **

March 4, 2008


	8. Gap In Between

**Heyo fellow prisoners, man… I'm sorry to say…but prepare for some disappointment. **

**This chapter won't be as dark/serious since it'll serve as filler. **

* * *

_In the lonely night_

_My feathers tingle_

_And I reach for the rainbow_

_That cannot be reached_

* * *

He sat there, bounded in chains, thinking…seeing…_hearing_…

"Come back to me." She said.

**Gap in Between**

_Clank._

_Slide._

_Slide._

_Click. _

"Is he alright?" A worried woman rushed in as the steel gate doors opened.

"He's just unconscious Miss."

"Unbind him from those horrible chains now and get him something to eat once he wakes up."

"Right away Miss."

She had one of her body guards pull up a wooden chair for her as she sat daintily on it.

"Sa…." She bit her lips quietly before deciding to reach out courageously. "Sasuke…wake up!"

...

"Sasuke!"

_Hn…so loud…just like the dobe…_

"Wake up!"

..._shut up will you? _

"Sasuke!"

..._Who's that calling my name? Sakura? No…_

..._I** know** this voice…_

"Sasuke! Please wake up!"

_Who are you? Who the hell are you? _

"Sasuke…I know you're awake…open your eyes…wake up!"

..._._

"If you don't wake up this instant…I-I…I'll hurt _her_…"

_Bitch…so you're the one…_

Slowly, his eyes opened and his long eyelashes parted. The first thing he saw was nothing but darkness except for a thin line of light from the crack under the door. But then as his pupils began to adjust and he began to see outlines - an outline of a woman and two men behind her, presumably her body guards.

The second thing that came to him was a peculiar smell aside from the wooden furnishing. He smelled…

_Roses…_

* * *

**(( AN: I will continue to call the imposter Sasuke for the sake of lazyness. Don't worry, I'll make it obvious as to who's real or fake.))**

"I can't believe this! I can't believe this! I absolutely CANNOT BELIVE THIS!" Naruto began walking around in circles throwing his hand up.

"OK! We know you can't believe this." Ino snapped and ran over to Sasuke to give him a hug. "Welcome back, glad your back, yadda yadda yadda…WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

"YEAH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Naruto shouted hugging him hard after Ino making Sasuke flinch in disgust.

"Sigh…are blondes always this troublesomely hyper?" Shikamaru sighed from a distance as Neji came up beside him silently.

"Nara, we have bigger things to worry about."

"Yes…its strange isn't it?"

-

-

Tenten looked at Hinata whose eyes were wide as saucer plates. "I can't believe this Hinata…is he really back?"

"I-I.."

"Come on, let's go hear his story." She tugged at the timid girl and momentarily forgot about Neji. They joined the two hyped up blondes who were flooding Sasuke and Sakura with questions.

"What do you mean you can't remember a thing?!"

"I mean what I said. I can't remember a thing dobe. The last thing I remember was going to the meeting and when I regained my consciousness, I found myself at school." Sasuke explained.

"We'll still find the culprit no matter what though!" Sakura piped up with determination. Whoever messed with her boyfriend means they're messing with her too.

Inner Sakura: Dieee biotch!

"Did you call the police yet?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah, we actually…well Sasuke has to go to the police station later for some questioning." Sakura explained.

"Hey," Naruto suddenly interrupted. "Since we have nothing to do right now, let's go eat something to celebrate Sasuke-bastards return!"

"A-Are you sure you're not just hungry Naruto?" Hinata teased softly.

"Aww…don't say that! I said it from the goodness of my heart! Although…" He looked at his stomach. "I am kind of hungry."

They laughed and divided themselves into two groups since all eight of them can't fit into a single car. Sasuke, Naruto, Tenten, and Sakura in one while Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Neji in another.

As they all finally decided where to go, Sakura quickly pulled Tenten into the backseat and held her hand tightly. "How's Neji?"

Tenten sighed and looked at her sadly. "Not any better…but now that Sasuke's back, maybe things will go back to normal?"

"I hope so… I'm so sorry Tenten for causing you all these trouble."

"N-No! It's not your fault and I guess…this is healthy for a relationship? Fights are normal. And you know how boys are." She winked at Sakura.

"Boys are idiots." Sakura giggled as Sasuke and Naruto got into the car.

"Did you say something?" Sasuke asked giving her an arrogant look.

"Nothing, nothing at all."

"And I happen to fall in love with a stupid one that loves getting caught up in work." Tenten shrugged.

"Don't worry, Neji will apologize soon." Naruto interrupted, who was happening to eavesdrop along with Sasuke.

"How do you know?" The brunette asked calmly.

"I feel it in my bones!"

"The only thing you feel in your bones is ramen." Sasuke remarked.

"Bastard."

* * *

**At "Saturday" – The World's Most Famous Western Restaurant**

_What a beautiful group…_the waitress in awe thought as eight people came into the diner. It isn't everyday you see four good looking girls with four hot guys together.

"I want two bowls of beef ramen please!" Naruto chirped as they got seated.

"Two?! Start with one first Naruto." Sakura scolded.

"Aww, but I'll finish the first one in five minutes."

"Greedy pig." Ino teased. "I want Caesar salad please."

"Ino, stop going on a diet." Shikamaru ordered, examining the menu. "She doesn't want Caesar salad, can you get us two prime ribs. One of them with extra fat." The female waitress just sweat dropped and nodded.

"EXTRA FAT?! THAT is DISGUSTING!" The artista exclaimed.

"It's just fat."

"Just fat? JUST fat? Obviously, you don't understand girls very well Shika! FAT gives excess meat in the stomach and eventually makes you look like you have a donut around you!"

"Fine, no fat but you still have to eat the rib." Shikamaru said skeptically.

"Fine. I want a massage later."

"Deal." He smirked.

_Oh my_…The waitress thought.

"I want seafood pasta." Neji ordered.

"Make that two!" Tenten shot afterwards without looking at Neji across from her.

"Make that three." Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Make that four. I can eat two plates of pasta, ha!" She said coolly and smiled politely at the waitress.

"Make that five!" Naruto notoriously interrupted.

"Shut up." Both of them glared in unison.

"Eek…Hinataaa…." He whimpered, hiding behind her.

"I-It's your fault. I want lemon chicken rice please." Hinata ordered nicely and patted Naruto's head sympathetically.

..._These beautiful people are freaks…FREAKS…_The waitress thought.

"Hey," Sakura called out at the zoned out waitress.

"Y-Yes?"

"I want ribeye steak. Medium done." Sakura ordered.

"Steak?! Sakura, control your diet!" Ino cried.

"What?! Steak is good. I like good food. Good food makes me a better person. Thus steak makes me a better person." She defended.

"Steak…STEAK…the world's gone crazy." She sighed.

"No, I think it's you who've gone crazy." Shikamaru commented.

_You're all crazy! _The waitress thought.

"I think he will have steak to." Sakura said happily pointing at Sasuke who was hiding his face behind the menu so the waitress couldn't see him.

_He looks familiar…_The waitress's eyes narrowed.

"Why am I eating steak with you?" Sasuke hissed.

"Because since it makes me a better person, it will make you a better person too."

"I'm already a better person."

"Like shit."

"T-That would be all thank you." Hinata told the waitress.

"So…two beef ramen, two prime ribs, four seafood pasta, one lemon chicken rice, and two medium done ribeye steak." The waitress recited.

"Yup."

"Ok, you're meals will be coming shortly thank you."

"Ai…" Naruto sighed in content. "To be like this together again…good times, good times."

"Yeah." Sakura smiled softly and leaned against Sasuke's shoulders who just smirked.

Neji and Shikamaru just looked at each other kept quiet.

-

-

-

"You're courses." The waitress returned with a trolley fifteen minutes later.

"FINALLY!" Naruto shouted and started devouring his ramen as soon as he got it. Ino on the other hand just stared at the piece of ugly thing in front of her and cringed in disgust. Where were the green vegetables?!

"Ino, if you don't start eating, I'm going to finish it off for you." Sakura taunted putting Tabasco, HB, red wine, mushroom, and black pepper sauces on her steak. Sasuke just looked at her in horror.

"Steak is meant to be eaten with _just_ sea salt." He said gravely.

"Nonsense, it's nothing without sauce."

"You're ruining the original taste."

"I'm just simply adding more taste to it. Give me that sea salt over there."

"You're going to die from liver cancer one day."

"Oh well. Enjoy life while it lasts! Cheers." She smiled and stuck a piece of sauce covered steak inside her mouth. _Simply heavenly…_

Sasuke just grinned slightly and looked up seeing Shikamaru and Neji staring intently at him. "Something on my face?"

"Nope." They answered.

"Hn." He frowned slightly and ate a piece of steak. _Those two haven't talked to me since I arrived this morning…_

"Shika! I CAN'T eat this!" Ino interrupted the two guys and waved a prime rib in front of him.

"Did you even try it?" Shikamaru turned his attention to his girlfriend.

"W-Well…no…BUT…I still can't eat this! It looks disgusting!"

"It does- Hey Ino, look over there!" He pointed something outside the window. As expected, she turned around to see what it was. Seizing this chance, he quickly stuck a rib inside her mouth making her shriek.

"Are you trying to choke me?! Eww, what the heck is…." She trailed off as the barbecue taste melted on her tongue. _Its…good?_

"What were you saying again?" Shikamaru grinned.

Neji looked at the two plates in front of him and at the two plates in front of Tenten. _How come there's more shrimp on my plate than hers?! _Didn't everyone know _he_, Hyuuga Neji, _hated_ shrimp?!

Then why did he order seafood pasta?

No one knew. But anywho…

_Fling!_

Tenten's mouth dropped as one-

_Fling!_

_Fling!_

_Fling!_

-FOUR

_Fling!_

-FIVE

_Fling!_

-SIX shrimps flew onto her plate.

"Hyuuga…" She cranked her head upwards to find an innocent looking brunette looking out the window. "EAT your shrimp right now! I'm not a fuhken trashcan!"

Hinata giggled as she saw her cousin wince as Tenten forcefully stuck a shrimp inside his mouth. At least everything was back to normal again…she thinks.

Naruto was almost finished with his second bowl when he suddenly noticed something. A ketchup bottle beside him. But the strange thing was, it was sitting _beside_ him. Now why would a ketchup bottle be so important a reader may ask…and well in this case, the ketchup was _very_ important.

_Why isn't the ketchup beside Sasuke? _His eyes trailed onto Sasuke's steak and saw that it was half finished and with no whatsoever sauce except for sea salt on it. _Didn't Sasuke always eat his steak with ketchup? _

Naruto felt his eyebrow scrunch up as he secretly studied the steak and Sasuke. _Could it be………….he ACTUALLY forgot he eats his steak with ketchup because of his temporary amnesia? _

He chuckled and shrugged. He never thought he would see this day where Sasuke would actually live with a steak without ketchup.

-Grumbles-

"Hey where's the waitress? I want more ramen!"

* * *

_Bruuuuuu…..Bruuuuuu…..Bruuuuuuuu_

_-Tap- -Tap- -Tap- _

_Bruuuuu…..Bruuuuuu…Bruu- "…Hey."_

"What took you so long?"

"_I was busy."_

"With your dear little Sasuke?"

"..."_._

"Pfft…jeeze…learn how to take a joke…anyways, I have news."

"_I'm all ears."_

"Sasuke's friends are suspicious."

"_Already? What about his brother." _

"Found out as soon as he saw me…as expected."

"_Well this isn't good. I'm disappointed in you…I thought you could act better…"_

"It's not a matter of being good at acting or not…it's a matter of how perceptive one is. And if you must know…my acting is unquestionable since the little flower is still fooled by me, her supposed beloved lover…"

"_Good. Then, I need more time. It doesn't matter if Neji or Shikamaru found out…we expected that anyway…but don't slip anymore on the others…if the girls found out-" _

"I won't let that happen."

"_Of course you won't…or else…no deal for you."_

The grip on his phone tightened as he heard the woman chuckle darkly on the other end. "Damn you…"

"_You're still obligated to listen to me hun...but anyways, I need more time with Sasuke, do what you can to silence those two boys." _

"You're cruel you know that?"

"_A__** friend **__taught me a very valuable lesson: the world is cruel, so be cruel back."_

"Hmph…"

"_Oh, and one more thing…seduce her…I want you to seduce her…__**break**__ her."_

"..."

"_You listening?"_

"Yes…"

"_Did I say something wrong Mr. Sensitive?" _

"No…"

"_Heh…well then…let me repeat my order for you. You know…just so you get the order through…__**break**__ her…break my little friend like she broke me."_

"..."

"_Got it hun?" _

"Don't call me hun."

* * *

_Bruuuuuu…..Bruuuuuu…..Bruuuuuuuu_

-

-

_(( Like we always do at this time, I go for mine, I gots to shine, Now throw your hand up in the sky, I go for mine, I gots to shine, Welcome to the good life-)) _

"Hey Hyuuga." Shikamaru greeted, flipping his cell phone open.

"_He may be the person that took Uchiha's place during the meeting." _

"You already found out about that?" He said in surprise, nodding in acknowledgement of Neji's detective skills.

"_Psh…you're not the only hacker around…but yeah…I saw through the videos on the surveillance camera." _

"Well, what should we do about him? Should we tell the girls and the stupid idiot?"

"..._No…let's keep it to ourselves for now…sooner or later…the girls and Naruto will start to worry and do stupid things…and Haruno will probably go insane from denial…."_

"True…hmm…you know, I think the imposter knows that _we_ know about him."

"..._Probably…we still don't really know what we're up against but I __**will**__ bring that asshole wannabe down…" _

Shikamaru chuckled sadly and smirked a little. "I guess no one can replace that Uchiha forever."

* * *

_Roses…_

"Sasuke…" The woman stepped forward with an outreaching hand.

The chains rustled around him as the guards slowly unwound them.

"So you're the one." He said coldly, eyes narrowing and slightly enjoying the freedom from his prison chains.

"Yes…"

"_**You. **_are. _**Such. **_an. _**Idiot**__………_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

"Bara."

**TBC**

* * *

**Yup, finished. Like I said, this chapter is only a filler chapter… so you may find it kind of dull. But please do review ehehehe…pretty please? It's my bday today!! Thank you!! Btw, the song from Shikamaru's cell ringtone is:**

**_Kanye West ft. T-Pain - Good Life_**

**For my Filipino readers… its mahal kita right?! Hahaha... I don't trust my tagalog sources very much. **

**Anyways…ETC is revised till chapter 4. And if you have time…please check out my deviantart and maybe leave a comment :D I'm feeling kinda lonely T.T (the link is on my profile) **

**Well…that's it for now! Ciao!! Hope you like it! Questions are welcomed. Oh, one more thing. I won't be updating until late May because of stupid school. Sry. But till then! **

April 28, 2008


	9. I Love You

**Heyy, I'm back.. wow… it's been a long long time since I updated this fic –dodges a flying keyboard- but I feel like I'm in a writing mood today. Tehe… Anyways… I hope you guys haven't forgotten the plot.. -dodges a flying mouse- Ahh, don't hurt me! **

**Again, the imposter will be called Sasuke due to my laziness to come up with creative synonyms for 'guy'. **

* * *

_-_

_-_

_Love…_

_It _

_ain't _

_just _

_rainbows _

_and _

_butterflies…_

_-_

_-_

* * *

"Sasuke…" The woman stepped forward with an outreaching hand.

The chains rustled around him as the guards slowly unwound them.

"So you're the one." He said coldly, eyes narrowing and slightly enjoying the freedom from his prison chains.

"Yes…"

"_**You. **_are. _**Such. **_an. _**Idiot**__………_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

"Bara."

**I Love You**

"Sasuke-kun, let's go and take Shadow out for a walk."

"Sakura, it's eleven at night."

"But the weather looks nice." She pouted.

The guy just smirked. "How can you tell? The sky is pitch black."

"Ex-actly!" The woman rolled her eyes and flung open the dark blue curtains in his room. It's a shame that men don't appreciate nature. "Look! The stars are out!"

Sasuke looked skeptical for a moment and glanced thoughtfully at the full moon.

"Oh c'mon! We haven't taken Shadow out in ages!"

"Fine, fine."

The girl cheered at the consent and grabbed Shadow's red leash.

_Such a weird girl…_Sasuke thought as he watched her supposed lover dance with the stupid dog. He never liked dogs nor did dogs ever liked him. They were slobbering creatures that can do nothing but sit and shake hands/paws.

"Ready to go?" Sakura asked, zipping her red coat up.

_Cheh...What's there to be excited about? _He thought and smiled falsely as he put on his jacket. _It just walking a dog…_

"Yeah, let's go."

Stuffing his hands in his pocket he walked closely by Sakura as they traveled out the mansion and into a park nearby. This was boring. He glared at the golden retriever in front of him and then at the stars. What exactly were so great about them?

"_Oh, and one more thing…seduce her…I want you to seduce her…__**break**__ her."_

_Hm?_

His eyebrow raised as the woman's voice suddenly popped inside his mind. _Seduce her eh... _He stole a secret sideways glance at the pink-haired girl who was humming happily while staring up at the stars that hung on top of her.

_Fine. _

* * *

**The Fuyu Underground**

**-**

**-**

_Hold me._

-

_Kiss me._

-

_Love me._

_-_

_-_

"I'm glad you still remember my name Sasuke-kun." Bara beamed as sweetly as she could.

"It doesn't take much to remember a girl you almost married and ditched." Sasuke said sarcastically, not really caring if he hurt the girl or not which… the fact is, _did_ indeed sting her in the heart.

Pause.

"...I see." She managed to hiss out, pursing her red-chapped lips.

"So let me see." Sasuke continued casually, not failing to retain his sarcasm. "Don't tell me you've become those rabid fan girls of mine that can't take the fact that I already have a fiancé called Haruno Sakura."

He watched the maiden struggle as the sweet expression on her smooth china face started to strain and wrinkle. She was obviously trying to hold back her anger. Pause. "As a matter of fact," She replied stiffly and coldly after a few seconds, completely changing her demeanor. "What if I have?"

"Then I suggest you to snap back into reality and stop daydreaming."

"Cold words Sasuke-kun." Bara remarked as she pulled up a chair and sat on it in a quite manly manner which surprised him by quite a bit. She was decked out in an equestrian outfit with a little black corset wrapping around a white blouse and beige pants tucked tightly into dark-brown leather boots. Elegant as always. Yet dangerous. She looked almost like a SM whore in the dark.

"My, _you_ sure have changed."

Bara just laughed and waved his comment off with her hand. "I wonder who made me that way."

"God?" He replied innocently and eyed the fresh red rose that rested like a brooch in her breast pocket. Ironically, it did not suit her at all.

"Very funny."

-

-

_I'm waiting._

-

-

"Hmph, so what's the deal?" Sasuke asked while lying calmly against the icy cell wall. Though his chains were off, there were still two bulky guards standing protectively behind their lady, ready to take him down if he every tried to do anything suspicious. And by the looks of it, he _knew_ he could not beat these guys in a hand-to-hand combat.

"You seem calm Sasuke-kun."

_Tch...don't change the subject.. _

"Right back at you." He answered. It was strange though, he felt no danger at the moment. Probably because it would be unreasonable for Bara to kidnap him just to beat him up for revenge nor would it advantageous if he tried to escape when he didn't even understand his current predicament. _Might as well just find out as much as I can before making my escape…_

"Looks like you're eager to find out the truth." Bara observed him and smiled a little.

"No shit."

She always admired his bluntness.

"Well, I won't spend my day dilly-dallying with you so I'll get it straight to the point. I'm giving you a chance to reconsider marrying me."

Pause.

Sasuke was trying his best to not choke on his saliva as soon as he heard this. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? It may sound foolish Sasuke-kun, but I'm dead serious. No games here." She said grimly, which scared him a little.

"If that's the case, are you an idiot?" He raised an eyebrow, holding back a stiff laughter.

"Maybe. Depends on one's perspective."

Eyebrow raises.

Sasuke stared at her long and hard and suddenly felt anger and frustration rising as her ambiguity annoyed him to no end. He hated it when girls don't give up on him. And he hated how she talked. When did she learn to talk exactly like him?! "Well, it doesn't matter if you're stupid or smart because it doesn't take a genius to figure out what my answer will be."

Nod.

"I expected you to say no." Bara sighed a little, but not because of disappointment. "I just had to ask anyway though."

"So what the hell are you trying to get at-"

"Let me ask you this Sasuke-kun." The woman abruptly changed the subject and looked slyly at him in the eye. Her dark eyes glistening. Thinning. Glowing. He swore she had the devil's eyes. "What do you think your beloved Sakura might be doing right now?"

"...."

Sasuke paused for a moment as the question threw him off track. _Uhh…searching for me? _

"Do you think," she continued, "that she's searching for you? Crying for you? Hurting for you?"

"....."

"Cat got your tongue?" she smirked.

_Bitch…_

"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped, sitting up straighter now and glaring at her in the eye. His brows gracefully slanted and pupils angrily burning. _Don't provoke me..._

"I just merely want to prove to you that's all." She half-sang and started to walk around the room, stretching her long legs lazily.

"Prove what? Listen, if you do anything to her-"

"Oh relax lover-boy. I didn't do anything to _your_ girl. In fact, since I'm so nice, why don't I show you what she's up to right now?"

.....He didn't know what to say therefore he stared. He hated how she had turned so cocky now and never once in his life did he want to punch a girl so much. Bara bitterly smirked inwardly and did a little motion with her hand. Pretty soon, her guards took out a remote control and handed it to her.

-

-

_I'm trying._

-

-

"Ready Sasuke-kun?" She asked playfully and clicked on a button. In an instance, a ray of prism light shone against a blank wall from a projector that has been hanging on the ceiling.

..._She prepared for this… _Sasuke thought in dread as he watched the wall. Four small windows appeared, each displaying the same scene from different angles. Back. Side. Front. Zoom. His heart skipped a beat as soon as he saw a sweet pink-haired girl smiling as she bent down to pat Shadow, _his_ dog and look up, pointing at the sky. It looks as though they were in a park not far from his house.

"Let's turn the volume up shall we?" Bara interrupted all of the sudden and grinned madly as she violently pressed the volume button.

_-Pzzt- _

"_Sasuke-kun, aren't the stars pretty today?"_

_Sasuke-kun?! What? But I'm right here… _Sasuke looked frantically at the wall in confusion. It wasn't until a few seconds later when he saw another man standing beside her. Angry. Hurt. Confused. Shocked. Deceived. He didn't know which one he felt more. _Who the fuck is that guy?! _He stared harder, half glaring at the man, and opened his mouth slightly as soon as he realized that the man beside her looked exactly like him from the third screen.

"My Sasuke-kun, you're very pale today."

"...."

-

-

_She was wearing red._

-

-

"Bitch…who the hell is that guy?" He demanded in a deathly low voice.

-

-

_He gave her that coat last Christmas._

-

-

"No one specia-"

Not even waiting for her to finish, Bara started to choke violently as she found Sasuke's hand around her neck in a vice-grip. _I though I told you to not provoke me..._

"MISS-"

-

-

_She gave him a kiss in return._

_-_

_-_

"S-Stay…." She weakly called off her guards who were glaring at Sasuke and panicking at the same time.

"Don't fuck with me Bara..." Sasuke ignored the preying guards and lowered himself so he could look closely into her eyes. He saw revenge. She saw different. There was no denying how beautiful he was to her and how gorgeous those angry onyx eyes looked. Slowly savoring their closeness, she managed to pull up a crooked smile and grab a hold of his hand that wrapped around her slender neck. The touch was heavenly.

"_Hey Sasuke-kun! Look! Look!" _

He froze.

Head turned 45 degrees.

"_It's a shooting star!" _

_-_

_-_

_She said she'll love him forever._

_-_

_-_

Despite the orders from their master, the guards quickly seized the chance and tackled the stunned Sasuke, locking him in place. Bara heaved a deep breath as she collapsed onto the ground and massaged her neck as air started to circulate through her body again.

"Y-You see t-this Sasuke-kun?!... You S-SEE this?! THIS is the girl that you chose OVER me." Bara angrily jabbed her index finger against the projected image of the pink-haired girl.

"You _dare_ call her your girlfriend?! Who doesn't even recognize between what's real and fake?! HA!" She sneered. "You're too naïve Sasuke-kun. Too naïve. If it happened to me, _I _would've known. I WOULD'VE KNOWN!"

-

-

_And ever._

_-_

_-_

"....."

"Shun, Tai…leave him here." Bara commanded angrily and stormed out the room without turning the projector off. _Let's see how he can handle seeing his little sweetheart with someone else! _

"_Did you wish for anything Sakura?" _

"_Psh, why should I tell you?"_

"_Fine, don't tell me." _

Screen 1: A faraway recording of two figures standing close together. She was wearing red.

"..._Alright, alright. Don't you dare laugh though!..."_

"_Just say it."_

Screen 2: Camera turns, zooms, projected a side view of the two. He was wearing black.

"_Grr…fine, I wished for us... I wished... we would be together forever. Like this."_

Screen 3: Camera shakes, steadies, zooms rapidly from the front as the two slowly erased the distance between them.

"...."

"..._wish granted."_

_-Pzzt-_

Screen 4: -Buzz- Red fabric comes in contact with the lens.

-

-

**_I love you._**

-

-

**TBC**

* * *

**Ehehe.. so there's a little update on Sasuke's side. Why the short chapter? Because I shall be updating again around Christmas. This time, it's for sure since I got the next chapter somewhat figured out already :D Till then, enjoy, and have a nice day! **

December 10, 2008


	10. The Little Bird That Sang

**

* * *

**

As promised, here's my uber fast update =D

* * *

_Grant me my wish _

_Release me from these chains_

_My heart knows no bounds_

_I want to spread my wings and fly…_

* * *

**The Fuyu Underground**

"Shun, status report."

"N-Negative miss. He hasn't moved for the past three hours."

Bara tightened her lips into a smile as she positioned herself in front of the TV screen. Sure enough, Sasuke was in the same position as three hours ago since she left. He looked like a frozen prince on the screen. "Wrong Shun...it's working."

-

-

He stared.

It was the only thing he could do.

**SET ME FREE.**

* * *

**Uchiha Mansion**

"You see Mr. Iceman! That wasn't too bad. We should take walks more often." Sakura did a twirl before collapsing on their bad. Or rather, Sasuke's bed.

The man grunted and lay down beside his girlfriend with a sly grin on his face. They were both on a bed. It was night. They were still awake with nothing to do. Perfect. She knew exactly what that grin meant and giggled softly as her man climbed on top of her. Make out time.

Honestly, she wasn't expecting another one so soon after what they did in the park but she wasn't the one to complain. Sasuke's new style of kissing intrigued her. In a good kind of way. Though, there was more touching in his new style which sort of bugged her. But don't get her wrong. The touching felt _good_. It's just that her conscience has been prodding her heart whenever Sasuke got a little bit too intimate.

Nevertheless, she trusts Sasuke completely with her virginity. There had been a couple of times when they almost 'did it' in the past but he knew that she didn't want to lose her virginity until she got married so he would always stop and ask her if she wanted to continue. He knew she would say no of course but he always asked for the hell of it. And after she would give her usual reply, they would snuggle under his covers and wake up at noon the very next day.

That was her Sasuke.

He never gives up an opportunity to tease her but at the same time; he always gave her the respect that she needed.

"I love you."

_Eh?_

Sakura froze in mid-kiss for a moment. That was a first. Sasuke never said something like that during make-out times. Whatever it was today, it must be very special. She smiled against his lips and giggled softly before bringing her arms up and grabbed his face, giving him a passionate kiss.

The man just laughed, managing to slip one hand under her shirt and crawl up to where her bra was. It should be fun screwing her.

_Bara will be happy._

* * *

**Hyuuga Mansion**

"Neji."

The brunette's ears perked up upon hearing his first name. For Shikamaru, who always addresses his name by his surname, to call him by his first must mean business.

"What is it Nara."

Under emotional distress (though one can't really tell), Shikamaru had visited him that night to figure out what they should do about the imposter. "I think we should tell the others. If not, Naruto at the very least."

"Hmm..."

"Naruto is not actually as dumb as he seems-"

"I know."

"He's actually pretty smart-"

"I know."

"He knows when to be serious-"

"I know."

"And it will help us if he knew...it's just that-"

"He probably won't be able to control his anger and kill the guy when he sees him."

"Yeah...Glad you're on the same page as me Hyuuga." The 200IQ genius grinned a little.

"What about the girls?" Neji sighed, pulling out his hair tie and rubbed his temples.

"Well, since we can't call the police because we don't know what kind of enemy we're up against, we need all the backup we can get. You and I both know the girls are pretty strong. And besides, if we do call the police, who knows what the enemy will do to threaten us. It's best to leave the police out of it."

"Hm...I agree. I'm worried though. I don't want the enemy to use the girls against us. For all we know, our enemy might be terrorists and they might've already planted a bomb in all of our houses."

"True, that is why I think we should all move in to one place so we can keep an eye on each other's back. What do you say Hyuuga?"

Neji nodded and slid open his cell phone. "I'll have a private villa ready in five minutes."

"Good. We're going on vacation."

* * *

**Uchiha Mansion**

It wasn't until after a few heated French-kisses did Sakura realize something strange. Up till now, she never noticed that little weird whatever-it-is that has been sort of sticking out under Sasuke's neck. Whatever it was, it had been scratching her arm for the past half-hour and it seriously annoyed her.

However, she didn't want to be a party-pooper and spoil their evening. To think she would stop their make-out session just to check what the heck is up with whatever-it-is that was on his neck was just...embarrassing. _Bear with it girl..._she snapped at herself for being so anal.

But by and by, she found another thing that was bothering her to no end. That familiar conscience-of-a-stick was prodding at her heart again. She rolled her eyes in her back of her mind. Ok. So what if she was almost half-naked now. Her bra was still attached and only her shirt was gone. No big deal. This was Sasuke she was talking about here.

_Sasuke won't do anything to me..._She laughed it off in her mind. But to her luck, another crazy thought entered her thoughts. _Ok...__**nooo**__ way. **That**. Is. Impossible._

_Go away stupid thoughts! I'm trying to make-out here..._

Just then Shadow ran into her mind. Ok, what was she doing thinking of a frickin dog in a middle of a make-out session with _the _Uchiha Sasuke – the man she loves.

_Fine._

_So __**what **__if Shadow's been acting strangely around Sasuke. _

The same crazy idea entered her brain again.

_Psh...that is impossible._

_**Well it certainly explains why he's so…vicious when he kisses. **_Her notorious inner self decided to enter. By now, she could probably make a special chat room for her brain.

_Shut up. I'm thinking too much. It's been weeks already since Sasuke returned. If he wasn't Sasuke, then I would've sensed it already._

But that didn't stop her from suddenly being suspicious. Cautious.

_**Try touching that thingy again under his neck.**_ Her inner self ordered.

Groaning, she wanted to smack herself on the forehead. _Fine. If it's just a fricken whatever-it-is, then disappear and let me enjoy him._

It took some time to bring his mouth back on hers again. He had been trailing his lips down from her neck to the curve between her breasts and whatever he was doing, it felt damn good. Moving expertly, she switched their position making her sprawled on top of him. _Heh, you're mine Uchiha. _She smirked and was ready to plant kisses along his jawbone and examine whatever-it-is that was on his neck when Sasuke unexpectedly unclipped her bra strap.

She gasped in shock and out of instinct; she immediately withdrew her hands to cover what was exposed. Thank God the only source of light in the room was the moonlight or else he would've saw that her face as red as a ripe apple.

_What the..._She panicked, covering her upper body tightly.

"Sakura." He growled huskily as he pulled her back with force making her moan.

_T-This...this i-is wrong!!...This is wrong!! _Her eyes squeezed tightly as if in pain. Each one of his touch seared her skin and left a burning trail where ever there was contact. "Sa...Sasuke..." She shivered, grabbing onto his shoulder with one hand and the other still tightly clutched around her chest. "No..."

He didn't hear her and made a move to pin her down and release her of her jeans. Sakura no longer needed to check his neck to know that this wasn't Sasuke. And it scared her. Fuck. She was super scared. She had been chilling, sleeping, and making out with this guy who she fucking didn't even know. But she knew one thing, she was not going to have sex with this guy.

"No." She said loudly and pushed him away. Under the moonlight, she could see a flash of anger, confusion, and restraint over the man's voice. _He looks so much like Sasuke...NO. It can't be. This guy is fake. _

_But wait._

_If this guy isn't Sasuke...then where is he?!..._Her mind swirled quickly as she searched the stranger's face frantically. _He knows where he is. He's the kidnapper. Fuck, I have been screwing with a kidnapper all this time!! _She silently screamed angrily at herself.

_**Now's not the time to get angry! **_Inner Sakura interrupted.

_That's right..._ She thought in alert. Obviously, even if this guy didn't kidnap Sasuke, he was still the bad guy and she would be in big trouble if he knew that she knew about him!

"I-I'm sorry Sasuke." She whispered. "I'm n-not ready for this."

Sasuke...or the imposter just sighed and backed off in acknowledgement. Seizing her chance, she quickly climbed out of the bed and darted for the bathroom with her clothes. "I-I need to brush my teeth." Was her lame excuse, but it will just have to do. Anything from that point was awkward anyway.

As soon as the bathroom door was shut and firmly locked, she heaved a sigh of relief and slid down to the ground with her back against the door. It took a while for her brain to settle and she let the tap on so the imposter wouldn't suspect anything. Splashing some water on her face, she breathed deeply again and looked at herself in the mirror.

She was shit scared but she knew she couldn't just stand around.

Sasuke was in trouble.

And she needed to save him.

-

-

_Was I being too pushy? _He (the imposter) thought, running his hand through his modified chicken hair. _Did she find out that I'm a fake? _He cursed himself for being too assertive. If the girl find out about his identity now, he was in big trouble. He looked at the bathroom door impatiently. _The girl is taking a very long time..._he thought suspiciously. But then again, he reminded himself that the girl was a virgin. From her reactions to his behavior, anyone could tell she was one. Maybe she just found the situation to be embarrassing and awkward.

_Click._

The bathroom door opened.

His eyes narrowed. _She locked the door..._

"S-Sorry." The girl stammered as she climbed onto the bed.

"It's ok. I'm sorry for being pushy." He apologized.

She smiled. "It's ok."

_She seems normal. _He examined her closely. But as a criminal, he knew he should always be on the lookout. Nothing can be what it seems and he, as an imposter, should know this to heart.

* * *

**The Fuyu Underground**

Though all four cameras were dark, Sasuke didn't need to be told of what Sakura and the imposter was doing. The sound says it all. It was torture and all he could do was stare. Stare. Stare. At the dark wall. Listening.

-_Pzzt-_

All four cameras were shut off.

"Do you understand now Sasuke-kun?" Bara entered the cell with the remote control

He stared coldly at her with bloodshot eyes. Not from crying. But eyes from exhaustion and anger.

"She's not coming Sasuke-kun. No one is. They don't even realize you've been missing. It's been weeks."

"......."

"She's not coming back."

"........"

"Sasuke-kun, she's not coming back to you anymore."

His heart wanted to break. To shatter. To disappear. To forget.

_Really?... _

**Fin.**

* * *

**Oh my, I actually quite like this chapter haha. It actually went the way I wanted it to go. But meh, along the process, I realized some flaws. The suffix kun will now only be used by Bara for emphasis. In the beginning of the story, I had all girls and Naruto use suffixes.. but in the end it got too troublesome. So now, only Bara will. But anyways, this concludes my 2008 update!!**

**Yay, another great year has passed and I hope you guys have an awesome countdown and new years! Future chapters of LTN will be short and around 2000-3000 words, but rest assure… they will come a lot quicker. Which means, the pacing will be quicker too. So please bear with me.**

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! I am glad some of you still keep up with this story and for that, I'm truly grateful. Thanks again! Love lots! Ciao!**

**-Takes a bow-**

Updated on December 31, 2008

* * *


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